


Pieces Aligned

by Miyuki_mist12



Series: Love in Defying Fate [3]
Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst will be there but it's kinda on the backburner, BAMF Roxas, BAMF Sora, But smut holy shit is it gonna be there, Explicit Language, Fuck it a lot of people gonna be BAMFs in their own way, Lol that's my crack, M/M, Protective Roxas (Kingdom Hearts), Romance, Slow Burn, Sora's a sweetie but can and will be deadly, Story starts at the beginning of KH2, it'll depend, just kinda, no beta we die like men, not really - Freeform, some scenes may be heavy fair warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:46:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 33,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26296642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miyuki_mist12/pseuds/Miyuki_mist12
Summary: A glitch in Ansem the Wise’s computer sends Sora’s consciousness to the virtual Twilight Town where Roxas resides. Still without his memories, Sora is found by Roxas who does not hesitate to take him in. With a bond forged in a way most wouldn't have foreseen, what events will transpire for the two boys originally intended to be on opposite sides of destiny?
Relationships: Axel & Riku (Kingdom Hearts), Axel & Roxas (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi & Naminé & Xion (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi & Olette (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Naminé & Roxas (Kingdom Hearts), Naminé & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Naminé & Xion (Kingdom Hearts), Riku & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Roxas & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Roxas & Xion (Kingdom Hearts), Roxas/Sora (Kingdom Hearts), SoRoku main pairing but other pairs will be added also, Sora & Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: Love in Defying Fate [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1415845
Comments: 13
Kudos: 86





	1. The First Day Part 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [二人の約束:The Promise Between the Two of Us](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/678829) by Alasse aka KiraLacus Forever On FF.Net. 



> Hey, this is Miyuki. And I'm here after a year-long funk of writer's block and some pretty depressing shit I don't feel too comfortable sharing. (Maybe I'll make a different post about it since you guys do deserve some type of explanation). But, here's something I've been meaning to do for a while but haven't been able to really get to until recently.
> 
> If you're familiar with my other work, hello again. I'm terribly sorry for being slow like a newborn Chao in Sonic Adventure. I haven't forgotten about those stories and do plan on still updating those. It's just been really hard on my end, is all I can say.
> 
> If you're new, welcome. And thanks for checking this out.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy the ride because this is planned to be a Really long fic. Like possibly transcending all the way to Coded/DDD/KH3 long. I'm probably getting ahead of myself, but I'm pumped after getting out of my Writer's Block spell, so we'll see.

Inside an old mansion was a library, within the library was a passage leading to an underground lab. Numerous monitors were connected to a supercomputer, each displaying various types of data and vitals for what appears to be a young spiky-haired male. An elderly man covered in bandages stood in front of the monitors scrutinizing them, beside him stood a tall male donned in a black coat, his features covered with the hood being up. The hooded male looked behind him, his gaze set on a smaller figure donning the same coat slumped on the ground unconscious with his back propped up against the wall. The person was a young male with blond hair and pale skin, as well as the topic of discussion between the other two occupants within the room.

“You did well apprehending him.” The bandaged man, referred to as Diz, commented, “No doubt he would be a difficult opponent considering whose power he wields.”

“I can’t say I’m proud.” Said the hooded male, his tone slightly pitying, “He was clearly angry and full of anguish when I faced him. He’ll only be more so once he realizes what’s happening...”

A scoff was made in response. “A Nobody anguished. Such a ludicrous statement. It will matter not. By the time he recalls everything, the process in returning Sora’s memories will already be complete.”

“Which means Roxas will…”

Diz remained indifferent as his attention was kept on the screens, “It’s the only logical way. Both of them cannot exist when sharing the same heart.” A wave of silence flowed between the two men. “Besides,” The older man paused before continuing, “There is nothing left for him to lose.”

The hooded man said nothing.  
Just then alarm sounds began to blare from the computer. Both men instantly honed in on the screens each displaying a flashing red window. A computerized voice could be heard impassively announcing the issue.

**‘WARNING: SYSTEM ERROR. RESTORATION PROCESS INTERRUPTED’**

“What!” Diz exclaimed. He quickly ran and got back into the seat of the main computer and typed rapidly on the keyboard. “Blast! What is the meaning of this?!”

Meanwhile, the hooded male checked every screen hoping to locate any possible source of the issue. His gaze set on the screen that displayed Sora’s vitals. He could see an exclamation mark flashing near Sora’s head, indicating the problem lied somewhere in the memory recovery process. 

“Sora!” The man exclaimed, his deep voice unusually panicked. 

As the two men worked frantically over the situation, neither held any thought for a certain someone residing in the vast white room where Sora rested.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Namine smiled apologetically looking at the cocoon-shaped chamber that held Sora within. She tucked some stray hair behind her ear and sighed.

“I’m sorry.” She spoke softly. “I know you’ve been trapped here for a long time now, I don’t mean to make it longer.” No reply was heard, as to be expected. The blond-haired Nobody had long been accustomed to the constant silence of the room. Not to say she didn’t feel lonely now and then, a notion strange and foreign for a being who supposedly was without any real emotions. 

Naminé looked down for a few seconds before looking back up. “But,” She began, walking closer to the chamber. “I do believe this will be good for you.” Namine laid a gentle hand on the base and then turned her head looking upwards.

“And him.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Inside a spacious bedroom, lay a blond-haired teenage boy named Roxas. If one were to see him, they’d think the boy was sleeping peacefully with his eyes closed and breathing even. Little would they know, the dream Roxas had that night was anything but peaceful.

**The First Day**

_**“Roxas.”**_ The gentle voice of a girl called out in the darkness.

 _“Huh? Who’s there? And how do you know my name?”_ Try as he might, Roxas couldn’t spot the source of the voice. 

_**“There’s someone I would like you to meet.”** _

_“What do you mean?”_

_**“Please treat him well.”** _

_“Him?”_

_**“Don’t worry, you’ll know soon enough. Good luck, Roxas.”** _

Roxas woke up in a cold sweat. Sitting up, the blond looked around breathing heavily, deep sapphire eyes taking in his surroundings. He let out a sigh of relief upon confirming that he was still in his bedroom. Still the ever normal walls, his ever normal furniture, and his ever normal stained glass door. 

Roxas turned towards his window and got on his knees pulling back the violet drapes allowing the sun’s light to pour in. Grasping the handles of the window, he then pushed open the doors with the faint ringing of the bells from the clock tower now amplified. The teen smiled as he rested his shoulders on the window sill, admiring the view consisting of the various buildings bathed in golden orange and yellow. Good old Twilight Town.

“Another weird dream.” Roxas mused. He’d normally dismiss something of this occurrence, however, a part of him couldn’t shake that there was something more significant behind the brief exchange. “Who was that girl?” He wondered, ”And who’s this ‘him’ she wanted me to meet?” The blond shook his head and closed the window before drawing the curtains. “It’s probably nothing.” He concluded. He’s already been on the receiving end of some pretty strange dreams lately, he supposed it shouldn’t be that surprising for this one to be just as peculiar. Roxas got out of bed to gather his outdoor clothes.

He went for his usual garb consisting of a white and red short sleeved jacket over a black zipped up shirt with a silver X as the zipper, complete with his grey trousers. After getting dressed and tying his shoes, Roxas exited his flat ready to start the day.

The weather outside was the same as it normally was for Twilight Town, clear skies with the sun positioned as if locked in a never-ending sunset. And as always, the sun was shining ever so brightly causing the young teen to shield his eyes when he stepped out. Roxas began to set off towards the Usual Spot where he and his friends often met. Once he got to Market Street, however, the blond noticed that people were whispering to each other as he walked by while others simply gave him looks of disapproval. He frowned.

 _‘What’s everyone’s problem?’_ Roxas thought as his face hardened into a scowl. He was more than a little irked at how much he was being scrutinized which, to his knowledge, was highly unwarranted. Last time he checked, Seifer and his “Disciplinary Committee” had nothing to complain about regarding him or his friends. _‘Though, I wouldn’t put it past them to make something to complain about.’_

Fortunately, there was at least one friendly face. The elderly Ms. Marnie waved to him graciously from her shop, unconcerned with the looks from the other townspeople. Roxas was slightly reassured knowing somebody wasn’t quick to place judgment on him. His expression softened as he waved back. Roxas would’ve liked to stop and say hello, but he had a sinking feeling he needed to get to the Usual Spot pronto. Once he cleared Market Street, the blond broke out in a sprint the rest of the way, eager to get to his friends and away from the whispers behind his back.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Outside of an old abandoned manor, a wave of lights manifested and began to circle each other right in front of the closed gate. 

The circle fully expanded before finally dissipating, leaving behind the unconscious form of a certain teenage boy with spiky yet soft-looking brown hair.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It appeared Roxas wasn’t the only one having a bad day. As the blond walked into the humble space that made up the Usual Spot, he saw that the gang were all seated at the corner looking incredibly tense. Hayner was sitting on a furnace pipe, Pence on some boxes piled against the wall, and Olette on an old ratty couch. It was evident that they were long deep in a heated discussion even before Roxas arrived.

“Can you believe that?!” Hayner groaned frustratingly.

“Yeah, that’s just wrong.” Pence shook his head.

Olette let out an angry sigh and stomped her feet on the floor, “Seifer’s gone too far this time!” 

Roxas began to worry. What he was hearing did not sound good in the slightest. 

Olette glanced over at Roxas who was walking closer to where they were congregated. “Oh. Hey there, Roxas.” The brunet girl’s greeting was less enthusiastic than usual. 

“Hey.” Roxas waved a hand and took a seat on some crate next to the couch Olette sat in. “What’s going on, guys?” Might as well cut to the chase. 

“I don’t know if you heard, but we kinda have a difficult situation on our hands.”

“Kinda? Try really! A really shitty situation! ” Hayner ranted, turning his attention to Roxas, “Roxas, were people looking at you funny on your way over?” The blond nodded his head.

“Yeah, how did you know?”

“The same thing happened to us earlier.” Pence sighed, “We didn’t know why until we saw this posted on the town’s bulletin board.” He grimly reached down and picked up a rolled-up piece of parchment paper laying at his feet, unrolling it before holding it up for Roxas to see. What the blond teen saw on the paper infuriated him. 

Smacked in the middle of the paper was a blown-up picture of Roxas, Hayner, Pence, and Olette and on top printed in large bold letters: **Suspected Twilight Town Thieves**. And as if to add insult to injury, printed underneath the picture was: **Stay Vigilant. Stay Wary** , emphasized by red arrows drawn from the slogan to where their faces were. Roxas clenched his fists and turned his gaze back forward. Deep Sapphire grew darker. The more Roxas kept looking at the poster, the more likely he’d give in to his urge to break something. It didn’t help that it was signed with “Per the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee” at the bottom. Thieves? The town thought they were thieves? And with no proof either? While he liked and respected the people in Twilight Town, Roxas couldn’t help but think they kissed Seifer and his gang’s asses too much.

“There’s gotta be an explanation for all this.” Roxas shook his head, trying to calm himself down. He was beyond frustrated, but he also knew sitting around griping about the problem wasn’t going to help solve it.

“I mean, it’s true stuff’s been stolen around town. And since we still got some beef with Seifer, I’m not surprised he’d want to pin it on us.” Hayner commented, his features crinkling in distaste at the mention of his rival. He leaped from the vent getting into a standing position. “But what really pisses me off is that practically everyone and their mother are now treating us like the Klepto Club. We gotta do something!”

“But, what can we do?” Olette asked. She and Pence looked over at Roxas, both wanting to know what he thought. Silence filled the room as everyone looked at Roxas expectantly, the only sounds being that of the train running through the tracks from above. The blond fumbled a bit from being put on the spot, but he eventually came up with what he thought was the most plausible solution.

“Um, well…We could try finding the real thieves. That’d set the record straight.”

The other’s perked up at this suggestion.

“That makes a lot of sense. What better way to prove our innocence?”

“Yeah. Good idea, Roxas!”

Pence leaped up and ran to his bag to retrieve his polaroid camera. Hayner crossed his arms with a frown. “But, what about Seifer?” He demanded.

“We gotta clear our names first, Hayner. We can deal with Seifer later.” Yeah, Roxas would love to give Seifer a peace of his mind, but getting to the bottom of everything took more precedence.

“Oh, no!”

Startled by Pence’s yell, the other three looked over in alarm to see what was wrong with their friend. The stocky brunet turned around, his expression that of distress as he clutched his camera in his hands. “They’re gone!” He exclaimed.

“What are?!”

“Our ______!” Pence’s brown eyes widened and he placed a hand at his throat. “What?” Roxas shared concerned glances with Olette, being aware of what Pence was saying but at the same time unable to hear the word.

Hayner then realized it wasn’t just Pence who couldn’t say it. “All our ______ are gone?!” He asked before grabbing at his own throat in shock when he noticed he was caught off from saying a certain word.

Olette gasped covering her mouth, “You can’t say ______? Why not?”

No one could think of an answer.

“But, you do understand what I’m saying, right? Our ______ are missing!”

Roxas scratched at his nose in thought, “Stolen. And not just the ______, but somehow the word was stolen too!” _‘As if today wasn’t hard enough.’_ He thought with resignation. Something told him there was more than just some petty crime going on. The only question was what that something was. 

“Even the word itself?” Hayner remarked incredulously, “What kind of thief is that? There’s no way Seifer could pull that off.” Everyone nodded in agreement with that statement. “Alright, time for some recon. Follow me!” The dirty blond-haired leader ran out of the entrance leading out back to the Alleyway followed by Olette and Pence. Roxas was the last to leave. But as he took a step, he was immediately overwhelmed with a force that made him feel like the room was spinning, making him lose his sense of balance before passing out. When he hit the ground, Roxas swore he could hear the same voice belonging to the girl from his dream.

“Please be careful, Roxas. You’ll need to be ready when you see him.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I don’t understand, everything was operating accordingly until now.” 

Diz slumped back into his chair, his frustrated sigh reverberating around the lab.

“He’ll never awaken if this persists.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Roxas’s eyes fluttered when he came to, deep sapphire blinking a few times before adjusting properly. The blond groaned as he slowly pushed off the ground standing back up, ‘What the hell just happened?’ He wondered. He knew he wasn’t one to just faint out of the blue like that. 

“Roxas?”

The teen saw Olette standing at the entrance looking at him with concern in her shamrock eyes. “What are you still doing here? Are you alright?” Roxas smiled a bit, he knew Olette was always the most perceptive and nurturing one out of the bunch. It was of no surprise she’d be the first one to notice he didn’t keep up.

He smiled as normally as he could muster and answered, “Y-yeah, I’m fine. Um, where exactly are we going, again?” He wasn’t a big fan of lying, but he also didn’t want his friend to worry when they already had a big enough mess to deal with.

Olette squinted at him as if unconvinced, “We’re starting the investigation at Station Heights. The guys are there waiting. Roxas, are you sure you’re-”

“I’m fine, Olette. Really.” 

The brunet girl stared at him some more before relenting. “Alright then.” She sighed, “C’mon, let’s go.” Roxas nodded and the two quickly left the hangout spot to catch up with their friends.  


\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Upon arriving at Station Heights, Hayner and Pence could be seen standing in front of the Armor Shop talking to the owner, Biggs. Olette ran over to them while Roxas stayed put, wincing when he saw what was a look of disappointment on the shopowner’s face. _‘This is gonna suck.’_ He lamented in thought. It was one thing to be labeled a thief, but for people who he was normally friendly with to make that label? That stung.

“Hey, Roxas! Over here!” Hayner called. The blond sighed but made his way over. 

“Yo, Roxas.” Biggs greeted in a tone that wasn’t too welcoming. “I don’t know what to say, man. I didn’t think you’d do something that rotten…”

“We didn’t steal anything, though.” Roxas quickly retorted.

“You telling the truth here, dude? I’d like to believe you, but I don’t know who else would take all that stuff.”

“What kind of stuff are we talking about here?”

“As if you don’t know?” Biggs snorted, “Playing dumb won’t help you, Roxas. I’m not gonna tell ya.”

 _‘You gotta be kidding me!’_ Roxas’s eyebrows furrowed but he restrained himself from making a scathing remark. _‘Well, fuck you too. Don’t expect any more business from me in the future.’_ That last thought was probably bullshit, the Armor Shop was the only store in town that provided the necessary gear for the yearly struggle tournaments. And even if he wasn’t happy with Biggs suspecting him to this degree, Roxas had to admit he wouldn’t be able to stay away from purchasing the goods offered at his store completely.

“Go ask Jessie if you need a reminder.” They all turned around to look at the Accessory Shop which was positioned across the street. The owner, Jessie, was standing at her post as usual. Jessie was a pretty young woman with shoulder-length blond, often tied in a ponytail, and had a knack of being kind to all her customers. Though, based on how today was going, there was no guarantee she was going to be as kind once she sees Roxas and the others.

Without another word to Biggs, the gang headed towards the Accessory Shop. Jessie looked cautious yet also pitying as Roxas approached the counter.

“Hey, Jessie.” Roxas carefully greeted.

“Hello, Roxas.” The woman returned gently, “I’m really sorry to say this, but I don’t think you should be here considering the circumstances.” 

“Look, we didn’t take anything, alright? We’re not thieves.” 

“I hope that’s true, you used to be one of my favorite customers….” Jessie said in a sad tone. Roxas could only sigh at this point. Already two people had either lost trust in him or were simply on the fence. “Miss Marnie is pretty upset herself.”

That got everyone to quickly look in the direction of the Candy Shop. Roxas exchanged anxious glances with his friends. It was a crime in itself to give any grief to the sweet-natured Ms.Marine who never had a bad bone in her. And to steal from an old woman in general, whoever this thief was showed they didn’t discriminate and cared little of who would be affected. Roxas was now more determined to catch the real culprit.

“Oh. Hello, Roxas, how nice to see you.” Miss Marnie welcomed them when they approached the shop with a warm smile plastered on her withered features. It was reassuring to see Ms.Marnie still treating them as normal. Roxas said his own hello, and just as he was about to ask her about any possible stolen goods, the blond noticed her brown eyes roaming around as if looking for something. “Oh, dear.” She sighed, “It seems my cat has wandered off again. Roxas, could you please help me find her? I’m afraid these old eyes don’t work as well as they used to.”

“Umm…” Roxas wasn’t sure what to do. Normally, he’d be more than happy to help, but right now they had a mystery thief to catch and some names to clear. That old cat could be anywhere and searching for it would most likely cost their investigation a lot of time. He looked behind him helplessly at the others, wordlessly asking for any ideas. Hayner looked as conflicted, Pence nervously tugged at his shirt collar, and Olette looked as if she was going to advocate they agree in looking for the cat. 

“You know, she might not be as lost as we think,” Pence spoke up, “If anything, she could still be here somewhere.”

Olette nodded in agreement. “That’s true, cats that are well cared for usually don’t travel that far from home.” Olette was well informed on the topic of cats’ behavior, having learned about it while caring for a couple of kittens she found in the forest some time ago.

“Huh. So, where would be the best place to hang out if you were a cat?” Hayner inquired. A mew was then heard from above as if responding to Hayner’s question. 

All four teens stopped and listened until they heard the second mew, which once again sounded like it was coming from somewhere up top. Stepping back, Roxas looked up and spotted perched on the edge of the shop’s roof, a greyish colored cat accented with white markings washing one of its paws. One detail that stood out to the blond-haired teen was a particular red collar hanging around the cat’s neck. Well, what do you know? It appeared Lady Luck wasn’t fully ignoring them after all.

Roxas pointed towards the cat, “She’s up there!” He proclaimed, causing the others to look up as well. 

Olette clapped, “Good eye, Roxas!” She cheered.

Hayner shook his head with a chuckle, “So, the cat’s been up on the roof this whole time. Why am I not surprised?”

“Can’t say I blame her, the view up there must be nice,” Pence remarked still looking upwards. 

As if noticing she’d been found out, the cat calmly got on all four legs and did a crouch before leaping down from the roof, landing swiftly on the counter of the shop’s window in front of where Ms.Marnie stood. The elderly woman smiled joyfully seeing her companion back with her and pet the cat gently on the head, scratching behind the ears making the docile feline purr in delight. 

“Thank you so much, Roxas,” Ms.Marnie smiled in gratitude when she turned her attention back towards them, “And to you three as well.” She said addressing Hayner, Pence, and Olette. 

Hayner scratched the back of his head embarrassed, “Aww, we didn’t really do anything.”

Pence nodded, “Yeah, it was all Roxas.”

Roxas smiled, “Come on, we all helped.” He turned to look at Ms.Marnie, this time getting to the question he wanted to ask her, “Ms.Marnie, did something get stolen from you, too?”

Ms.Marnie looked crestfallen when she answered. “Ah, yes. Something really important.” She said quietly. Everyone looked at her with sadness in their eyes. They never liked seeing her look so down, especially when she’d herself go out of her way to cheer them up when they had their occasional gloomy days. Ms. Marnie smiled once more since as old as she was, she was no less wise. “And I know it wasn’t you, dears. I don’t believe that you would ever be capable of doing such a thing.”

“Thank you, Ma’am.” Roxas felt relieved and even more grateful towards the Candy Shop Owner. “What exactly did they take from you?”

“My ______. My precious ______.” She answered.

“So the culprit is going around stealing ______.” Hayner remarked as he narrowed blond eyebrows in thought. “And not just the ______, but the word _____, too.”

“Doesn’t sound like your average thief,” Pence said thoughtfully.

“You think Seifer might know anything?” Asked Olette.

“Only one way to find out,” Roxas stated. “Let’s head to the Sandlot!” And with that, the four friends said goodbye to Miss Marnie and set off to confront their longtime rival.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Arriving at the Sandlot, they spotted the three members of Seifer’s gang standing in front of a scoreboard huddled in what appeared to be some sort of discussion. Surprisingly, their leader was nowhere to be seen.

One of the members, a squatty looking boy named Vivi, jumped upon seeing Roxas and his gang approach and quickly pointed them out to his colleagues. The other two, previously having their backs turned, looked over to where Vivi was pointing and jumped in alert when they realized who had come. 

Fuu, a girl with short silver hair, loosened her arms from their previously crossed position and sharply pointed her finger in Roxas’s direction. “Thieves.” She declared in a voice that was monotone yet still held the full weight of an accusation. For as long as he remembered, Roxas had never once heard Fuu use more than two words whenever she spoke. Everyone in town was pretty much on the receiving end of her short frank responses, the other members of the Disciplinary Committee being the only possible exceptions.

Hayner’s stance became defensive while Roxas, Pence, and Olette simply stood and glared in response to that accusation. They expected it, but it didn’t mean it was any less irritating to hear. “Oh Yeah?” Hayner fired back.

“Tch. Nice comeback, blondie.” 

A voice taunted from the right entrance of The Sandlot. Everyone turned their heads to see the leader of the Disciplinary Committee himself striding over with an arrogant smirk on his face as the tails of his iconic white vest coat flowed behind him. 

The hot-headed blond growled and held up a fist. “What’d you say?!” He could barely restrain himself from confronting his rival head-on.

Seifer was a young man who was tall, blond, and had an imposing appearance with a disposition to match. Roxas always figured that intimidation was what let Seifer stay as the town’s law enforcement for so long. No one often questioned Seifer’s word, which was probably why Hayner and his gang were always at the top of his shit list. Mostly Hayner though, since he was the one who never hesitated to engage Seifer every chance he got.

Roxas’s eyes narrowed in defiance when the taller blond shifted his attention towards him. “You can give us back our ____ now.” Seifer told, already an edge to his tone.

“Yeah! You guys are the only ones who’d take it, y’know?” Added Rai, a burly young man who possessed plenty of brawn but not enough brains. Rai was considered to be Seifer’s biggest advocate as the former often backed whatever Seifer said and did without question. 

Roxas stayed silent. Everyone’s ______ were stolen and with the lack of evidence, there was no way to convince those who were so sure of his guilt. And with Seifer’s crew being the main enforcer of this prosecution, it was guaranteed he and his friends would never have a moment’s peace if this was left unresolved.

“I can see why you losers would take it, though.” Seifer circled them like a wolf to its prey. “That was undeniable proof of how bad we owned you peons.” He pressed on, “So, what’d you do? Burn it? Tear it to shreds?” 

Roxas knew what Seifer was referring to. Last year’s Struggle tournament ended in what was considered a year’s worth of bragging rights for the Disciplinary Committee and a long period of being the laughing stock for the Twilight Town Gang. Granted said period only lasted two weeks at best. But still, it was a long and humiliating two weeks.

Seeing that no one was answering, the tall blond huffed out a laugh as he joined his comrades. He remarked with a dismissive wave of his hand, “Not that we actually need the _____ to prove how much you twerps suck.” 

“Replay.” Fuu suggested. Seifer began to laugh. A loud and sinister laugh.

The opposing gang all cringed, they knew nothing good would come with Seifer letting out a laugh of that caliber. 

“Now you’re talking!” The Disciplinary Committee leader along with his subordinates positioned themselves into fighting stances, ready to make good on Fuu’s idea. 

Roxas and Hayner both quickly moved into their own positions, the two being the most active and experienced fighters of their group. Pence looked nervous but stood his ground keeping a protective hand over his camera. While he mainly stayed out of the fights, Pence was capable of defending himself if the need arose. Olette positioned her right foot more to the side, keeping her stance passive but also ready to defend herself just in case. Even if she didn’t look it, the brunet girl could actually handle herself in a physical altercation. Just like Pence, though, Olette wasn’t one to go looking for a fight.

Seifer smirked. “But y’know? If you get on your knees and beg for forgiveness, I Might let it slide.” 

“Ha! In your dreams.” Spat Hayner.

Something then caught Roxas’s attention as he kept his gaze on their opponent. Peering downwards, the blond was able to make out three long blue objects laying at Seifer’s feet. After thinking for a few seconds, an idea formed into his head. _‘If it’s a fight he wants, it’s a fight he’ll get.’_ Roxas relaxed his stance and walked forward, surprising his friends.

“Roxas.” Hayner whispered to him, “What are you doing?” 

Roxas ignored his friend and kept moving until he was only a few feet in front of the opposing group. Hanging his head, he then got down on his hand and knees as if in a form of surrender. Seifer smirked at this and lowered his guard, thinking he had won. Unknowest to him, the shorter blond had taken advantage of his ground position and was shifting his eyes between the blue objects, which Roxas could now see were Struggle weapons, each a different style. Perfect.

Within seconds, Roxas pushed himself off the ground and dashed towards the weapons. He dove for the one that lay on the far right and rolled backward with it in tow. It was the standard Struggle bat. The “blade” was elongated and structured out of blue foam while mounted on a yellow plastic handle which was similar in length. The blond readied himself holding the Struggle bat challengingly as his friends cheered and complimented him on the maneuver.

If Seifer was surprised he didn’t show it. The taller blond instead scoffed in annoyance and grabbed a Struggle Bat which was handed to him from Vivi and stepped onto the arena. “Fine, Whatever.” He declared, smirk back at full force. “I guess I’ll just have to teach you a lesson a second time.”

The shorter blond said nothing and tensed the second Seifer went in for a first strike. Roxas ducked from the swing and responded with a thrust which Seifer blocked. The two exchanged blow after blow while their respective allies cheered from the sidelines. Eventually, the match reached its finishing point.

“Kneel, loser!” Seifer struck at Roxas, knocking him back.

“Gah!”

“Tch, is that the best you can do? How ‘bout you quit playin’ around and fight?” Taunted Seifer pointing with his weapon mockingly.

“Roxas, Focus!” Pence called out. The blond managed to recover mid-air and dove back towards his opponent with a flurry of attacks that actually made the other stagger, leaving him open. 

“Backoff!” With a final combo, Roxas had succeeded in disarming Seifer causing the latter to stumble backward before falling to his knees.

Roxas kept his stance up just in case the taller decided to get back up. To his surprise, Seifer was down for the count. Hayner and Olette ran to him, giving him congratulatory pats on the back while complimenting how awesome he was for putting Seifer in his place. Pence had stayed back so that he could take a ____ to commemorate this moment.

Rai and Fuu ran over and stood in front of Seifer. 

“S-Seifer’s not feeling so hot today.” Rai stammered.

“Tournament decides!” Fuu protested. If Roxas didn’t know any better, he’d say that she actually sounded a tad desperate there.

Roxas turned around in time to see Pence press the shutter button on his camera, successfully taking the _____. The hickory haired boy smiled and gave his friend a thumbs up. However, in a blink of an eye, something white and elastic-like slithered in the air and swiped the camera out of Pence’s hands. Roxas could’ve sworn he spotted a zipper where the thing’s mouth was supposed to be.

Everyone watched in bewilderment as the abnormal creatures took off out of the Sandlot.

“What was that?!” Hayner exclaimed.

“The thief?” Asked Olette.

Everyone agreed there was only one way to find out. The four friends then ran in the same direction as the mysterious creature leaving Seifer and his gang behind.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Roxas gained more traction in the pursuit, making sure that he didn’t lose sight of the creature as he followed it past the Tram Commons and into the dark woods that connected the town to the old mansion. The slippery suspect was weaving to and from the tall trees that made up the forest, as if beckoning Roxas to follow it. The blond held his knees and panted as he watched it zip in the direction of the manor.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Having caught his breath, the teen resumed the chase, determined to apprehend the creature.

Roxas knew he was close when the forest began to thin and the path opened, unveiling the distinctive quaint structure of the mansion as it stood looming over the tree line. The steel bars of the gate were shut as always, discouraging any trespassers who may attempt to enter. Finally exiting the woods, the blond stood at the entrance looking around hoping to spot the mysterious white creature. 

His search was then interrupted by something shiny catching his attention. Squinting his eyes, Roxas followed the source of the light, discovering that the sun was reflecting off of something small and metal on the ground. What he saw with the metal object shocked him.

Roxas’s gaze fell upon a boy lying curled up and unmoving on the ground in front of the mansion’s gate. 

The metal object he was looking at was a crown shaped charm hanging by a silver chain around the boy’s neck. For that moment, Roxas had forgotten about the elusive thief and ran to where the boy was laying.

The boy’s skin was of a light tan, complemented by spiky looking chocolate-brown hair which covered his face. He wore a black and white short-sleeved jacket over a red jumpsuit, yellow shoes were on his feet, and on his hands were white fingerless gloves. 

“Oh god. Is he even alive?” The boy looked too still and vulnerable for his liking.

Kneeling down, Roxas placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. _‘He’s warm. Well, that’s one good sign.’_ He gently turned him over until he was cradled in Roxas’s arms. To his relief, the mysterious brunet was still breathing as indicated by the slow heaving of his chest. 

_‘Who is he?’_ Roxas thought, _‘And how did he get like this?’_

The boy appeared to be roughly around the same age as Roxas himself, however he also felt smaller and lighter. A small gust of wind blew the boy’s chocolate bangs sideways exposing more of his face. Roxas was awestruck. 

_‘He-He’s actually kinda cute.’_ He blushed looking down at the serene face adorned by long dark lashes and soft looking pink lips. _‘Pretty, even.’_

Wait. What? 

Roxas shook his head furiously, “Where’d that come from? I should be focusing on getting this guy help!” He was so gonna whack himself after this. The blond then heard a soft groan and felt the form in his arms stir. The boy’s eyes flickered before fully opening, revealing to Roxas unfocused but, he couldn’t help but notice, beautiful ocean-blue eyes. 

The brunet blinked and squinted as his eyes adjusted, doing his best to gain some focus. Once his vision finally cleared, the first thing he saw was Roxas’s concerned face. He let out a small gasp only for his eyes to snap shut having been overwhelmed by the sun’s rays. He faced away from Roxas and looked around in a desperate attempt to make sense of his surroundings. 

“Wha-Where? How-?” He whispered. He didn’t know where he was or how he got here. Whatever he tried to remember resulted in him drawing a blank.

“Hey, easy.” Roxas calmly told the other boy as if sensing his distress and confusion. “You’re going to be alright. My name’s Roxas.” The brunet boy looked up at him.

“Roxas…?”

“That’s right, what’s yours?”

The tanned boy found himself having to think for that question. What was his name? Fortunately, something in his head clicked that allowed him to recall that piece of information.

“...Sora.”

“Sora...” Roxas repeated. Something about that name felt strangely familiar. Though, he couldn’t put a finger on it.

“Where...am I?”

“You’re in Twilight Town. How did you get here?”

Sora was about to answer how he didn’t even know when he noticed something moving over the other boy’s shoulder. His eyes widened alarmingly as the thing darted towards them. 

“Look out!” 

The blond looked over his shoulder seeing it was the same white creature he had been pursuing earlier. 

“Shit!” Roxas held Sora to himself and dove to the side evading the creature’s lunge. The two toppled over each other in the process. Roxas quickly checked on Sora, deliberately placing himself between the brunet and the assailant. Sora was still on the ground, leaning on his arms for support. He gave Roxas a slight smile reassuring the other boy that he was okay much to the former’s relief. 

The creature stayed put, much to the boys’ surprise. Roxas stared at the symbol imprinted on top of its head. Something about it gave him an unnerved feeling but he quickly dismissed it. The zipper keeping its “mouth” shut moved to the other side of its face. The slit opened wide, exposing what appeared to be a faceless grey head.

**“We have come for you, my liege. The Original as well.”**

“Huh?” Roxas was taken aback. Did that thing just talk? He looked down at Sora who was just as surprised. “Did you hear that, too?”

Sora nodded. “I did.” He shivered. He couldn’t help but feel it staring at him intently, if that was even possible. “It doesn’t look too friendly.”

Roxas glared at the white being. “No. But, I already got a bone to pick with it.” He then asked Sora, “Can you get up?” 

The brunet bit his lip and attempted to move his leg. The limbs had felt numb, but there was also some movement present. “Barely.” He answered honestly. “I probably need a moment.” 

Roxas stared at the white creature before he stood back up. “Stay down, alright? I’ll handle this thing.” A bold statement considering he didn’t know what they were dealing with. But, Roxas knew he had to try, especially if it meant protecting Sora from whatever the creature would try to do.

Sora gave him a worried look but nodded. 

Roxas gripped the Struggle bat he brought with him and charged at the creature with Sora watching from the sidelines. The brunet wanted to help, but he knew he’d just get in the way in his current state. All he could do was trust that Roxas was capable of fighting it off.

However, Roxas was already having problems. No matter how accurate he was with his strikes, none of them seemed to make contact. It was as if his weapon was just phasing through the enemy. This went on for a couple of minutes. The fair-haired teen stood on the opposite end of his opponent growling in frustration.

“Damn it.” He cursed. “Is there really no way to hit it?”

Suddenly, a spiral of numbers and lights circled around his Struggle bat. Roxas looked in bewilderment as his bat disappeared only to be replaced with a weapon that looked like a giant key. 

“Wha- What is this thing?” The blue-eyed boy couldn’t help but ask aloud as he held it forward, his hand shaking from the now heavier weight. The key’s steel blade, curved at the end with crown-shaped teeth, was pointed towards the white being as if indicating for Roxas to use it against it.

Sora gasped. “That key-” He whispered, only to cry out feeling a sharp pain burst through his head. 

“Sora?!” Roxas looked over his shoulder at the downed boy in worry.

The brunet shook his head, still struggling with the pain. “Gngh! I’m okay….Just- You need to take them out, Roxas!”

Them? Roxas looked back and saw that now four of the same white being had appeared.

Oh, great. He had to make this quick if he wanted to get Sora out of there safely.

When one of the creatures lunged at him, the blond avoided it by sliding around behind it. As the creature looked around in confusion, Roxas took the chance and brought the key shaped weapon down. 

To his delight, the attack made contact causing the thing to recoil and stagger. Filled with newfound vigor, Roxas attacked the stunned enemy once more. The thing stood no chance against Roxas’s combination of strikes and slashes. It wasn’t long before the blond launched it into the air and delivered a final midair combo, the enemy dissipating in a swirly mist. Roxas landed on his feet and panted from the exhilaration.

One down, three to go.

The blond was making quick work out of the remaining enemies. He figured they shared the same patterns and weaknesses making him more confident dealing with the stragglers. 

Sora on his end continued to observe the battle, the pain in his head fortunately already subsided. He was amazed at how well Roxas fought, but the brunet knew the other would tire eventually especially with how more aggressive the creatures’ were becoming. He wished he could help the blond in some way. There wasn’t anything nearby he could use as a weapon, and even though he could feel strength returning it still wouldn’t be enough for him to jump in. 

“There’s gotta be something I could do,” Sora said to himself in frustration. “But, what?” As if to answer his question, he heard what sounded like a girl calling to him from inside his head.

 **“Sora.”**

“Huh? Who’re you?”

**“Use this. Remember that you have a Fire inside.”**

Fire?

Just then, he saw a scene play out in his head. 

“What’s happening?” He could see in his mind flames of energy being shot towards dark creatures possessing eyes that glowed yellow. “Fire!”, the caster had yelled. The scene faded just the targets of the blazing projectiles disappearing into a shadowy mist.

“I can do that?” The brunet wondered, examining his gloved hands in front of him. He wasn’t exactly sure how he was supposed to accomplish that. But….Sora looked at Roxas still preoccupied with the ongoing battle, the blond showing signs of exhaustion yet was still fighting on. He needed to try.

Sora closed his eyes and balled his hands into fists in concentration, hoping that something, anything, would come to him. He tried to think of anything that could possibly make the fire appear like what he saw in his head, but to no avail. Opening his eyes, Sora looked helplessly at the other boy.

_'Roxas…'_

The brunet closed his eyes again and took a deep breath, this time thinking of Roxas.

 _'He’s fighting hard to protect me.'_ He thought. _'I gotta help Roxas.'_

He paused.

 _'No.'_ Sora amended resolutely, _'I Will help Roxas.'_

Sora’s eyes snapped open feeling an intense warmth within his hands. Sure enough, dancing over his open palms were small crimson flames. 

He did it! He smiled feeling accomplished. But, now what?

“Gngh!”

Sora instantly looked up seeing that the pained yell came from Roxas. The blond had been knocked down and was steadying himself on one knee to stay up. Meanwhile, the white creatures were moving in a circle around him fluidly as if preparing to attack him simultaneously. Without thinking, Sora got to his feet and ran over.

“Roxas!” He shouted. The paler boy looked up while the three remaining creatures turned their heads at the sound of the brunet’s voice. Sora closed his hands and immediately extended his palms out, the flaming energy shooting out of his hands and hitting all three enemies, throwing them back. Roxas couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Woah!” The abnormal beings lay twitching with small embers burning in various spots on their skin. The blond stared at Sora as the latter kneeled down next to him. 

“Roxas, are you alright?” Sora asked him, worry shining in his ocean eyes.

Roxas only stared at him and eventually said, “Was that you?” Gesturing to the burnt enemies. The brunet nodded and held out his hands with the palms facing up. After some concentration, Sora made the same flame he conjured earlier reappear. Sora watched as the blond stared blankly at his hands for a moment before finally registering what was going on. He barely kept himself from giggling at Roxas resembling a fish with the way his mouth dropped open.

“Wha-I don’t-How is that-?” He stuttered. A million questions raced through the blond’s head but only one came out coherent. “How are you even doing that?” Roxas asked, inspecting every angle of the flame dancing on Sora’s hands. 

Sora lowered his hands causing the flame to disappear in a small puff of smoke. He shrugged. “I’m not sure. All I know is that I saw you were in trouble and I had to do something. But to be honest, I wasn’t expecting this kind of something.”

Roxas shook his head in disbelief. “Can’t say I was, either.” He sighed but gave the smaller boy a smile. “I’m not complaining, though. Whatever you did really saved my hide. Thanks, Sora.”

Sora returned the smile feeling his cheeks flush. “You’re welcome,” he said softly. 

The moment was then interrupted in the form of the creatures springing back to their feet, seemingly shrugging off the physical burns Sora inflicted on them.

The boys quickly stood up facing what they hoped would be the last of those creatures. While Roxas didn’t do too bad on his own, having Sora fight by his side made a significant difference. He engaged the foes head-on, while the brunet cast the projectile fireballs at the ones who attempted to get the drop on him. There was now one enemy left. However, instead of attacking, it now looked to be in a state of confusion as it turned its head between Roxas and Sora. 

The boys eyed each other, both wondering where its previous aggression went. Nevertheless, they proceeded to finish it off with a combined effort of Sora’s fire magic and Roxas delivering one final strike with the key weapon. The creature convulsed in defeat and burst in an explosion of light. After making sure more weren’t coming, Sora and Roxas both relaxed simultaneously letting out tired sighs. But before either of them could say anything, the key weapon Roxas used spontaneously vanished.

“Well, so much for that.” The blond noted examining his now empty hand.

“Hey, Roxas-” Sora aimed to point at something, when he was immediately hit by a wave of dizziness. He stumbled backwards holding his head. 

“Woah!”

Roxas caught the other boy before he fell to the ground. “Are you alright?” Sora groaned but nodded. “I’m surprised you were able to get up that fast.”

“Ngh. So am I. I may have overdone it, though.” 

The brunet then remembered he was trying to show Roxas something. “Anyway, look over there!” He pointed towards a thin pile of small squared shaped papers laying just a few feet away from them. “They must’ve been dropped by those guys we just fought.”

Roxas looked over at the pile. “You might be right.” He gazed down at Sora, who so happened to be facing him as well. They both froze when their gazes locked, deep sapphire meeting ocean blue. Roxas felt his heartbeat increase seeing the brunet up-close yet again. Then realizing just how close in proximity they were, the two sprung apart. They looked away from each other laughing nervously, both equally bashful.  


The blond cleared his throat and stated quite awkwardly, “So-uh….I guess we better….go check them out?” Roxas really was going to whack himself. _'Duh. What else would you do with them?'_ He just met Sora and was already looking like an idiot.

Thankfully, the other boy just nodded and walked over to the pile with Roxas following. They both examined the items strewn about on the ground, different images printed on the pieces of paper. “These are all photos.” Sora remarked.

“Oh!” Sora looked at Roxas in surprise at the small outburst. “You just said photo!” The blond stated.

“Well, yeah.“ Sora scratched his head, confused as to why it was such a big deal. “Am I not supposed to?” Roxas shook his head and began to gather up the photographs with Sora’s help.

“It’s hard to explain.” He said. “But, I need to get back into town and show these to my friends. They’re gonna be glad about this.” Sora gave the photos he picked up to Roxas who smiled and took them with thanks. “You should come with me. I don’t think it’s safe to hang around here, anyway. Not if there are more of those things.” The brunet nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, not sure if I wanna stick around to find out.” 

Roxas chuckled, “Then it’s settled. Let’s go.” With that, the two left the old mansion behind and began the small trek into the forest that would lead them back into town. Roxas took the lead as Sora followed at a safe distance while looking around curiously. 

They were just about to approach the entrance to the Tram Commons when Roxas remembered something he meant to ask Sora earlier. The taller boy paused in his movements and turned around causing Sora to also stop, tilting his head in question.

“I didn’t get to ask earlier,” Roxas started, “but, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around before. What were you doing out here and where did you come from?”

Sora pondered on the question for a while before lowering his gaze and shaking his head, “You know, I’m really not too sure.” He answered. “I don’t know how I ended up in front of that mansion or what I was doing before.”

Roxas frowned in concern.

“But, what about your family? Or friends? Surely, you’d know some people.”

An immense silence hung in the air.

Eventually, Sora spoke, looking even more downcasted. “I...I don’t, actually. The only thing I’m confident of knowing is my name.”

“You mean, you lost your memory?”

“Maybe…”

Now, Roxas felt like a jerk. Sora was alone and confused, and here he was badgering the brunet about things he couldn’t even remember.

“I’m sorry.” Roxas apologized, his voice sincere. “That was pretty insensitive of me.”

Sora just shook his head, “It’s okay. You didn’t know.”

Roxas felt really bad for the boy. To be lost, not being able to remember where you came from or who you knew…

It only took a minute until the blond decided right then and there what he could do for Sora. He walked closer to the other boy and reached out, laying a hand on his shoulder. He said, “You can stay with me.” Sora looked back up in surprise at the invite. 

“I’m serious,” Roxas continued with a smile, “I wanna help you, Sora. And it’s the least I can do since you helped me get those photos back and everything.” The brunet only stared at Roxas, still in disbelief that he was being given such a generous offer, and by someone he just met no less. 

After a moment, the corners of his mouth perked upwards into a bright smile. Roxas blushed and felt his heart flutter again. He could get used to seeing more of Sora’s smile, it made even this dark forest seem lighter.

“Thank you, Roxas.” Came Sora's soft reply. 

Roxas coughed to compose himself and nodded. “Don’t mention it. It’s what friends do, we help each other.”

“Friends...” Hearing that word elicited a warm feeling within the brunet. “You…. already think of me as a friend?” he asked, genuinely surprised.

“I do.” Roxas affirmed. “If you don’t mind, that is.” He quickly added, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. Sora did look like he needed a friend, especially in his current state, and Roxas was more than willing to be one to him if he’ll let him. Roxas had no doubt Hayner and the others wouldn’t have any trouble taking a liking to the brunet boy as well. From what he had seen, Sora was brave, sincere, and seemed to possess a strong air of kindness. He'd fit in just fine.

Sora grinned once again. “Not in the slightest.” he cheerfully stated. He wasn’t sure how he could even repay such kindness. He considered himself extremely lucky and overjoyed to have the fair-haired teen as his first friend. 

Roxas smiled back. “Good.” And with that, the two stepped out of the darkness of the forest and into the bright orange-tinted glow that covered the main area of the town. 

They trekked in silence, the only sounds being their shoes stepping on the bricked surface of the street. 

Both boys were in deep states of reflection. 

For Roxas, the previous dread over earlier events was now replaced with the anticipation of a new friendship with Sora and determination to help the amnesiac boy through his situation. Sora on his end had mixed feelings of fear over the uncertainty of his situation but also relief and hope knowing he wouldn’t be alone in dealing with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you made it this far, then that means you've read through the whole chapter! Yay!
> 
> In case you're wondering how that "mysterious" glitch in Ansem the Wise's computer conveniently occurred, let's just say Naminé is one crafty gal.
> 
> Anyway, regarding the inspiration tag, you can thank 二人の約束:The Promise Between the Two of Us for contributing to getting me hooked onto the Soroku pair back in 2006. It still remains one of my top favorite Soroku fics to this day. I think the whole taking place in the game universe thing was what really got me hooked. And it did open up some interesting scenarios for me to think about.
> 
> Feedback/Constructive Criticism is welcomed and appreciated, but not required. I'm just happy to spread the SoRoku love however I can.
> 
> Flames will be used to cook my dog's chicken.
> 
> Hope you all stay safe and see you in the next chapter.


	2. The First Day: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxas takes Sora to meet the Twilight Town gang and later back to his home. How will things fare with Sora adjusting to his new surroundings and Roxas mulling over having Sora in his home? Read below to find out.
> 
> Fair Chapter Warning: Some violence and a scene with a mind trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter summaries are my styrofoam.
> 
> Hey, peeps, as promised. Here's the second part of Day 1.
> 
> Holy shit, I honestly cannot believe I'm already getting kudos/comments for this. Thank you guys so much for that. I guess that means I haven't lost my touch too much right lol
> 
> Anyway, hope you all enjoy.

Sora took in the sights around him, his blue eyes wandering curiously around the buildings and shops highlighted by their colorful neon signs. The brunet was more at ease feeling the town’s peaceful atmosphere and thought he wouldn’t mind the prospect of staying here for the time being. 

“So, this is Twilight Town.” 

Roxas smiled and fondly remarked, “Yup. Home sweet home.” He turned to Sora. “I can give you a tour later.” He promised. “Right now, I’d like you to meet my friends.”

Sora grinned. “Sounds good to me.” He said, only to hold his arm up shielding his face as the sun shone in his face. “Geez, that’s bright!” The sun was already bright back at the mansion, breaking through even the blockage of trees standing to shield against it. However, being out in the more open space of the streets left Sora feeling the sun’s intensity even more.

“You get used to it,” Roxas said reassuringly. He remembered feeling irritated over how bright the sun was and would prefer to stay indoors most of the time because of it. Over time though, he grew to accept the overwhelming nature of the sun as a part of the town’s daily life and what gave it its charm. “It can get annoying sometimes, but in some places, it’s really amazing to look at. Like from the top of the clock tower.”

“There’s a clock tower?” Sora asked in wonder and began looking around. “Where is it?” He had never seen a clock tower before, at least as far as he knew, so the thought of being on top of one excited him. 

“Easy.” Roxas laughed, highly amused at the other boy’s curious manner. “I said I’d give you the tour later, remember?” Sora pouted a little but didn’t protest. This caused Roxas to chuckle even more. “C’mon, Sora.” He grabbed the brunet’s hand and led him through the rest of the street to the Usual Place.

Unknown to the boys, a certain blond haired girl stood near the entrance of the forest. She silently watched as their backs disappeared further out of view and let out a sigh of relief. Her pale pink lips arched into a small smile. No doubt Diz was going to be displeased once he learned of these turn of events, but what’s done was done.

Sora and Roxas’s fates were now intertwined. How closely intertwined, though, will be left up to them.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The two boys had reached the Usual Place in little time. On the way, Sora noticed the townspeople giving them odd looks. When he asked Roxas about it, the taller boy had replied it was probably him they were mostly staring at, which led to the blond explaining about the ordeal with the photos and how he came to chase that creature in white to the mansion. To Roxas’s surprise, Sora listened the whole time without an ounce of judgment. If anything, the brunet empathized with his plight. 

“So, everyone claimed you guys were the ones who stole them? With no proof?” Sora asked as they approached the gate to the hideout. Roxas grimly confirmed it. “That’s horrible.” Sora shook his head. “‘Sorry you had to deal with that.”

“Don’t worry about it,” the blond said casually. “It’s over and done with. And what’s important is that we got the photos back in the end.” To be honest, he was still a little bitter about the accusations thrown at him. But like he told Sora, the matter was more likely to be settled now that the stolen items were retrieved and everyone could move on. “Although, I could’ve done without those living jacket things.” He joked.

Sora looked down. “Sorry about that, too.” 

Roxas furrowed a brow, “Why are you sorry?” He asked, genuinely confused.

“For not helping sooner. You got pretty beat up back there.”

The blond smirked, waving a hand like it was no big deal, “Oh, that? Please. I’m tougher than I look, believe it or not. As if I’d let a couple of weird looking guys in white suits take me out.” He puffed his chest out in that dramatic macho way. He was hoping to cheer Sora up by making him laugh.

Fortunately, it worked. Sora chuckled heartily, “I don’t know, Roxas, those weird looking guys did a good job knocking you on your butt.” He teased.

“Hey!” Roxas wound his arm around the smaller boy trapping him in a headlock. Sora squealed and tried to free himself but alas, the blond proved to be stronger. With a triumphant laugh, Roxas gave Sora a noogie. He didn’t do it as roughly like the ones he’d give Hayner, if out of consideration for the brunet still feeling physically weak. “Is that any way to talk to your rescuer?”

“Excuse you!” Sora pointed out between laughs, “I had to rescue you too, you know!”

“True. But in hindsight, I mostly had it handled.”

“In hindsight, you still needed my help.”

Roxas released the other boy still chuckling. “I know, I know. But in all seriousness, I am grateful you stepped in, Sora.” Sora huffed but still smiled at Roxas knowing he had meant it. 

“Hey, what’s going on out here?” 

Both boys turned around to see Hayner, followed by Olette and Pence, running out of the gate. 

Roxas waved. “Hey, guys!” 

The trio stopped upon seeing Sora and looked at him curiously. “Woah! And who are you?” Hayner immediately asked. Sora scratched the back of his head, feeling flustered and out of place. Roxas placed a reassuring hand on the other boy’s shoulder while Olette swiftly hit the back of Hayner’s head.

“Hayner, don’t be rude!” The brunet girl chided before smiling at Sora. “Sorry about him, sometimes his mouth runs faster than his head.” Roxas and Pence snickered at the remark as Hayner rubbed his head grumbling. Sora giggled in amusement at the antics between the friends. “Are you going to introduce us, Roxas?” Olette asked. 

“Oh! Right! Guys, meet Sora. I ran into him while chasing after the thief. Sora, meet the gang. The girl wearing the orange shirt is Olette, the guy with the headband is Pence, and the guy who just got smacked by Olette, his name’s Hayner.”

Sora gave a jovial wave in greeting. “Hi, there!”

Olette smiled in delight. “It’s nice to meet you, Sora.” 

Pence followed. “Yeah, any friend of Roxas is a friend of ours.” Sora beamed at that. He was more than thrilled at the prospect of making more friends. 

Hayner, still a little disgruntled about the earlier smack, lifted his hand in a half-hearted wave. “Hey.” 

Olette rolled her eyes at his attitude and went to address Roxas.

“Any luck with the thief?” 

Roxas shook his head. “Not really. But, I did find these.” He then took out the photographs to show to the others. The trio jolted in shock.

“No way!” Hayner, already over his sour mood, ran over and took the stack of photos from Roxas’s hands to look through them. “Good work, Roxas!” He complimented.

“Don’t give me all the credit, I wouldn’t have gotten them back without Sora’s help.” Roxas stated, gesturing to his new friend. Sora smiled bashfully at the praise. Hayner, Pence, and Olette were all astonished.

“Really?” Roxas nodded smiling.

“Wow. Thanks, Sora,” Hayner said. “I guess we really owe you one.”

Sora casually placed his hands behind his head and chirped, “It’s no problem. I already owe Roxas, so we can call it even on that.” The three gave Roxas inquisitive looks, curious about the last statement.

“So, you already know about the stolen stuff and everything?” Pence asked Sora, shifting uncomfortably.

“He should, it’s still the talk of the town.” Hayner retorted.

“Actually,” Sora spoke up, “I just heard about it from Roxas. He told me about how you guys were suspected by the townspeople of stealing their stuff.” The three winced, but Sora just smiled looking around at them. “I know it sounds weird, since we just met and everything, but you guys don’t look the type to be thieves.”

The three stared dumbfounded at Sora. They honestly didn’t expect the newcomer to take their side, especially when considering how convinced the majority of the town were of their supposed guilt. Eventually, the self-proclaimed leader of the group said,

“I think I like him already.” resulting in a greatly astonished Olette and Pence. Usually, it took some time for their stubborn friend to warm up to a new person. At least, unless the person happened to be a girl.

“Why don’t we talk more about this inside so that Sora can sit down?” Roxas suggested. Sora had to have been still exhausted from earlier. He had noticed the brunet’s legs beginning to sway and quickly placed a supporting hand on his shoulder.

“Oh, are you not feeling well, Sora?” Olette had asked, already concerned for the newcomer.

“I do feel a little woozy, still.” The brunet admitted as he leaned on Roxas. “I was kinda passed out when Roxas found me, so...” Everyone except Roxas gasped.

Olette immediately sprung into action. “Why didn’t you say so?! Let’s get you inside, Sora.” Sora could only stammer as the brunet girl grabbed his hand and dragged him away from Roxas and more into the hangout spot. Roxas, Hayner, and Pence all joined in making sure Sora didn’t fall over in the process.

“Yeah, man, can’t have you falling over on us,” Hayner remarked, keeping Sora’s shoulders steady.

“I’ll go set up a spot where you can rest,” Pence added and ran to the dark green couch to clear away the clutter on top of it. 

Roxas couldn’t help but laugh seeing Sora getting flanked and steered around. It was like watching a bunch of farmers arguing over the direction of a wheelbarrow. “Hey, guys, be careful with him! At least give him a minute before you start throwing him around.” Sora looked at Roxas and just smiled while shrugging in an ‘Oh well’ manner. Roxas merely shook his head but also smiled. Looks like he was right, Sora was practically already one of them. 

“Thank you. I think I can make it the rest of the way.” Sora said as Hayner and Olette brought him near the couch. The two let go but remained close just in case. 

Sora managed the small distance and sat down on the couch sighing in relief. The couch was rough and understuffed, but much more comfortable than the cold ground. He gazed around the interior hangout spot, taking a gander at the various items decorating the space. His attention was centered on a pair of wooden swords leaning against the far wall. The brunet couldn’t understand it, but the sight of them felt familiar.

“Nice place you got here.” The brunet could see that the space has been well used and made to be pretty cozy. If it weren’t for the adrenaline he still felt from the earlier battle, he would’ve fallen asleep right then and there.

“Glad you think so,“ Sora turned to Roxas who had taken a seat next to him. Olette sat on the other side of the couch, while Hayner and Pence settled for sitting on the floor. “It’s not much, but this is the place to go if you want some peace and quiet.” the blond teen continued.

“Most of the time, at least.” Hayner snorted while pointing upwards towards the ceiling. 

“Huh?” Sora glanced up and noticed that in the ceiling was really a large opening covered by wooden beams spaced out on top, allowing light from the sun outside to peer through. The brunet cocked his head to the side, still not quite getting what Hayner had meant.

A casual smirk formed on the dirty blond teen’s face. “Don’t worry, you’ll hear it before you see it.” His expression then turned serious. “You said you were passed out when Roxas found you. How did that happen?”

Roxas and Sora looked at each other sharing unsettled expressions. They established an agreement earlier to not disclose anything about the mysterious creatures or the key-shaped weapon Roxas had, figuring no one would believe them. Hell, both boys had a hard time believing it themselves. However, they might as well share some semblance of the truth.

Sora sighed, “Your guess is as good as mine.” he replied, playing with a loose string sticking out of the cushion. The others looked at him confused.

“He can’t remember anything that happened beforehand.” Roxas stepped in, the others looking in shock. “That’s another reason why I brought him here, I didn’t want to leave him alone like this.”

“Shit. Sorry, man.” Hayner genuinely told Sora. The blue-eyed teen said it was okay, not really all that bothered.

Olette then spoke up, “We should help figure out his living situation then.”

“There’s no need, Olette,” Roxas informed. “he’s going to be staying with me.” Everyone except Sora stared at him open-mouthed.

“He is?” Hayner couldn’t help but ask.

“ _Yeah-_?” Roxas arched a brow. “What? You don’t think I make a good host?”

“It ain’t that,” Hayner raised his hands in mock defense. “I’m just surprised you’d be that willing to share your space. Hell, you barely tolerate us sleeping over.”

“ _Wow_ , ‘tolerate’. So you do know how to use a dictionary.” Roxas snickered as he dodged an empty soda bottle thrown at him. “Number one, that’s because my place always ends up trashed after said sleepovers. And guess who leaves the most trash?” The last part was emphasized with a pointed look. 

Pence and Olette coughed to hide their laughs, they knew it wasn’t them who Roxas was referring to. Sora seemed to get it as well with how he covered his mouth to hide his smile. Hayner rolled his eyes but made no retort, more or less accepting of his fate to be the low-key butt-monkey of this conversation.

“And number two,” Roxas continued, “I’m willing to make an exception.” He sent a smile to the boy next to him. Sora smiled back, his cheeks taking on a pink tint.

The others watched the interaction between the two, not missing a beat in noticing how comfortable they already were with each other. Olette giggled softly to herself, waving off Hayner and Pence’s perplexed stares. The brunet girl cleared her throat.

“That’s great to know. But, Sora, don’t be afraid to also come to us if you need anything.” Pence and Hayner nodded in agreement. 

“Yeah,” Hayner added, “if something’s up, just say the word and we’ll be there.” The spikey-haired teen smiled appreciatively at the sentiments and gave them his thanks. Hayner’s expression turned serious once more as he proceeded to ask Roxas for details about the picture thief.

Roxas shared a side-eyed glance with Sora before answering.

“Not much to say.” He stated, knowing that wasn’t entirely true, “The photos were just lying there when Sora and I got to them.” Hayner, Pence, and Olette jumped in response to hearing the previously missing word. 

“Did you just say-”

“Yeah. I was just as surprised as you are.”

“Then, how do we prove we weren’t the ones who took them?” Hayner groaned out. 

Everyone just shrugged, resigned that the real thief’s identity would remain uncovered. Hayner looked down at one of the photos and let out a snicker. He held it up for the others to see resulting in a laugh from everyone except Roxas who just sighed.

“It’s a _girl_.” Hayner teased. The picture he picked up just so happened to be of Roxas and Jessie standing shoulder to shoulder to each other. Jessie was shown to be making a friendly gesture to the camera while Roxas just stood there smiling calmly.

Sora nudged Roxas slightly with his elbow. “Someone looks happy.” He teased. Roxas looked away with an embarrassed blush.

“Do not.”

Olette glanced at a photo she had picked up before handing it to Sora. “This is a nice one.” She commented. It was another photo with Roxas in it, only this time the blond was standing in front of the Armor Shop with Biggs himself situated behind the counter. Both were smiling amicably in the picture. The brunet had to agree, the picture made for a pleasant scene.

Roxas leaned over to take a look. He recalled what occurred at the time that the photo was taken. “I was his first customer when he took over the shop.” He explained to Sora. “So, we took a picture together.” 

Sora smiled, still looking down at the picture. “That’s great.”

Pence had a thoughtful expression after looking through all the photos. “Say, does anyone else notice something odd with these photos? They all seem to be of Roxas.”

Roxas blinked in surprise not knowing how to feel about that piece of information. “Are they really?” He asked curiously. 

Hayner held up a couple more photos, supporting Pence’s statement. “Looks like it, man.” He confirmed. 

Olette let out a noise in understanding. “Oh! So, that’s why everyone thought it was us!” 

“And Seifer wasn’t just going around accusing us after all…”

Sora looked worriedly at Roxas who gave him a reassuring smile. It did explain a lot of things. But, what still bothered Roxas was what the guys in white’s intentions were with the pictures, or if it was really the pictures that they were after…

Pence hummed in thought at this newfound knowledge before sharing an interesting theory. “This might seem out there,” he started, “but, wouldn’t it be crazy if the thief wanted to steal the real Roxas or something?” Hayner chortled at the idea.

“Get real. Who’d want to steal a bonehead like Roxas?” He said jokingly.

Roxas pretended to be affronted. “Oh, Thanks! Already gotta make me look bad in front of Sora, I see.”

“Nah, we know you don’t need my help for that.” 

At that, Roxas sprang from the couch as Hayner took off laughing. Pence, Olette, and Sora all laughed heartily as Roxas chased the dirty-blond haired boy around the room. Just then, a faint chugging noise was sounded from above, causing everyone to stop and look up.

Sora jumped as the noise amplified, followed by the rattling of the wooden beams on top. The source of the noise rapidly trailed along for a few seconds before disappearing, leaving the room in a peaceful silence once more.

Hayner regarded the brunet’s reaction with amusement. “Pretty cool, huh?”

“What was that?” Sora asked, his gaze still aimed upward. 

“Just the train.” Roxas answered, taking back his previous spot next to Sora. “Since the tracks run through here, that’s what we get to listen to every day” 

“A train, huh? How far does it go?” Sora tilted his head inquiringly.

“Pretty far.” Pence replied as he gathered the photos together. “Though, we’ve only been able to take the free route which just leads to another part of town. As you may have guessed, ticket prices aren’t that cheap.” The group spent the next hour or so chatting it up while also filling Sora in with different facts of the town. Roxas insisted they don’t give everything away, as he still planned on showing Sora around himself.

Eventually, the exhaustion from the day’s events finally took its toll. Olette slid out of her seat announcing she was going to go home. “It’s going to be late soon, anyway.” 

“Yeah, I need to head back as well. I’m beat.” Pence yawned and stretched out his arms once he got to his feet. 

“‘Got that right.” Hayner groaned, nodding his head side to side once he stood up.

Sora and Roxas were the last to stand from their spots, the blond making sure to help the other up. 

“You okay to walk?” Roxas asked, still considerate for the smaller boy’s health.

Sora nodded tiredly with his eyes half-lidded. His body had recovered from the dizziness he felt earlier. Though, he yawned, the exhaustion was still there. 

“I’m gonna take Sora back to my place,” He told the others. “We’ll see you guys in the morning.” The trio nodded.

“Have a good night, guys. Be sure to get some rest, Sora.” Olette waved before walking out the entryway with Pence following.

“Later, guys.”

Hayner turned around and grinned, “Oh, and Sora? Watch out for Roxas’s snores.” He ran away laughing, avoiding the empty soda bottle Roxas chucked in his direction.

“Don’t forget, I know where you live!” Roxas called out with a shake of his fist. He scratched his head groaning in exasperation. Sora giggled but stopped when the blond turned to look at him. The brunet looked down sheepishly.

“Sorry.” 

Roxas just sighed and shook his head. “Don’t be,” He assured the smaller boy, “It’s good to see you looking chipper.” It was true, he found it more suiting when Sora was cheerful. Anything else just seemed…….unnatural. He paused. “But don’t listen to anything Hayner said, you got that?” 

“What did he say?” Sora tilted his head in fake confusion.

“Exactly.”

They looked at each other trying to keep a serious face until they gave up on holding their grins back. They finally burst out laughing at how ridiculous they probably looked. As their laughter died down, Sora noticed a photo lying on the ground near his feet.

“Oh.” He said, picking it up, “Looks like Pence accidentally left this.”

It was one of the pictures of Roxas, only this one had Hayner, Pence, and Olette in it as well. The gang posing and smiling together in front of the old mansion. 

Roxas leaned in to get a better look. “We can give it back to him tomorrow.” He took the picture and put it in one of his jacket pockets. “C’mon, follow me.” 

The two walked outside where the sun was still shining as it was earlier, much to Sora’s surprise. Roxas assured that it was just another normal occurrence of the town. When Sora asked how everyone kept track of the time, the blond answered with only a sly smile. Sora pouted seeing he wasn’t getting a straight answer but didn’t press as he followed Roxas through some flights of stairs. 

As they got to one of the top floors, they reached a corridor consisting of a row of doors on one side of the wall. The doors were decorated with small multicolored stained glass windows, each one etched with an intricate design. They came to a door identified by a wooden sign, the number 13 painted in bold black numbers, hanging next to it. Roxas unlocked and opened the door, gesturing for Sora to go right in first.

“After you.”

Sora smiled and entered his new friend’s home. 

The brunet let his eyes wander around what he guessed to be the living room. The walls were of a cool shade of blue, the flooring a dark wood, with a medium-sized green rug spread in the middle. The furniture comprised of the basic necessities, namely a gray loveseat placed at the center of the room along with a low wooden coffee table in front. Against the wall were bookshelves holding various knickknacks as well as framed pictures and posters lining the wall. All in all, the flat had a simple yet cozy vibe to it.

“Make yourself at home,” Roxas said as he went ahead to the bedroom located at the far end of the living room. “I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

Sora sat on the sofa while he waited. He was about to take off his shoes when his attention was grabbed by the photo of Roxas and the gang on the coffee table. 

Reaching over, the brunet picked it up and stared into it.

A wave of melancholy and wistfulness took hold of him seeing how happy and close Roxas and his friends looked in the picture. It reminded him right then how lost he was not being able to recall anything about his own friends. Or if he even had any.

Sora heard Roxas’s footsteps approach from the outer room, getting closer until the blond was now standing next to the couch. “Hey,” He softly called, “I was calling you but you weren’t answering. ‘You alright?”

Sora remained silent. After a moment, he quietly said with a sad smile, “You have some great friends, Roxas,” his attention still on the photo.

The blond went around the table and sat beside Sora. Looking at the picture brought back wonderful memories, but Roxas understood how it could also be a source of sadness for Sora. 

He placed a comforting hand on the brunet’s shoulder. “They’re now your friends, too, you know.” Sora turned his head to look at him. “Including me.” Sincerity shone in Roxas’s sapphire orbs as he told him this. Sora smiled at the blond’s words. Even if he could already see that he was welcomed among the Twilight Town gang, it was still nice to hear.

Unable to help himself, Sora threw his arms around Roxas’s shoulders in a hug burying his head in the taller boy’s shoulder. The blond froze in shock and blushed at the sudden action. He stayed still for a moment, but then slowly returned the hug. Sora pulled away realizing what he just did, though still keeping his hands on Roxas’s shoulders.

“S-sorry,” Sora uttered in embarrassment, his cheeks a light pink. “I know that was out of the blue…And weird. N-not that I’m saying _you’re_ weird! I just felt thankful for what you’re doing for me that I-I just felt the need to express it-I know there are other ways to express it!-I just...I mean-” He bit his lip and decided to stop talking before he spilled out more jargon.

Roxas just laughed and patted the other on the back. “It’s okay, Sora, you don’t need to explain. I don’t mind.” He really didn’t. Sora looked like he really needed that hug, and even if he wasn’t normally a touchy-feely guy, Roxas wasn’t going to deny him that form of comfort. 

And if Roxas thought about how warm and soft Sora felt in his arms, or how sweet his subtle scent of mangoes and cinnamon were…..Well, that wasn’t anyone’s business.

“You feeling better, though?” He asked, changing the subject. Sora nodded, grateful for Roxas’s understanding. The blond smiled and stood back up. “Good. We should go get some sleep.” He noticed Sora was still sitting and offered his hand out. “You getting up?” The brunet stared at the outstretched hand.

“Oh. I figured I’d just sleep here.” 

“On that couch?” Roxas asked incredulously, “I wouldn’t recommend it, Sora. I can speak from experience that It’s not all that comfy to lay on. C’mon, there’s enough space for us in my room.”

To say Sora was surprised was an understatement. He really didn’t expect Roxas to offer up part of his room to him, having thought of Hayner’s earlier remark in terms of the blond’s willingness to share his living space. Roxas was already doing a lot for him by just taking him in. Sora hoped that Roxas wasn’t thinking he had to compromise his own comfort just to accommodate him. The last thing the brunet wanted was to be a burden to his new friend.

“Are you sure, Roxas? I mean, I’m fine with-”

He yelped as he was pulled up into a standing position.

“Yes, Sora, I’m sure.” Roxas sighed, “Now, are you gonna come with? Or do I have to carry you?”

The brunet squeaked, “That won’t be necessary! I’ll go.” Roxas smirked.

“Thought so.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Despite Sora’s initial concerns, Roxas was right about there being enough space. The bed was pushed against the far wall underneath a giant window along with a door leading to a bathroom on the right. Sora quite liked the furniture the blond had, the whimsical and brightly colored aesthetics adding a pretty lively touch. 

Roxas brought Sora some clothes he dug out of his dresser. “Here, you can wear these. I figured you’d want something less snug to sleep in.”

Sora blushed. The jumpsuit he wore did feel a little small and tight. What had exactly compelled him to choose such an outfit in the first place?

“Thanks. You mind if I use your bathroom to change?”

“Why?” The blond teased, “We’re both guys.” He laughed as Sora’s face turned even more pink while he stuttered. “I’m just messing with you. Go right ahead.” 

Still blushing, the brunet scurried into the bathroom and shut the door. Roxas watched the closed door still chuckling.

 _‘He has some interesting reactions.’_ He thought fondly. _‘It’s really cute.’_ The blond frowned and facepalmed realizing what he’d been thinking. He groaned.

“The hell’s wrong with me? That’s the second time I’ve used that word today.” He ran his hand down his face. 

Maybe he was just tired. 

Yeah, that’s gotta be it. 

So tired that he was using words he swore was never even in his vocabulary like, he shivered, _cute_. He definitely wasn’t associating it with his new friend who he now was going to be living closer quarters with. No, of course not.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Sora had finished putting on the sleepwear Roxas lent to him. A simple blue and white shirt, a bit loose on him to where the collar dropped to the side exposing his shoulder, and a pair of gray shorts that reached a little above his knees.

The brunet giggled and twisted his upper body around, relishing how much more comfortable the clothes were in comparison to his jumpsuit. 

He thought about the fact that these were Roxas’s clothes, making him ponder the shirt he had on.

_‘I wonder…’_

After glancing at the closed door, Sora pulled the collar up to his nose and took a small whiff of the fabric. Vanilla and a hint of citrus, he noted with a smile.

He thought of Roxas, still overwhelmed with gratitude for what he was doing for him. Sora had meant it when he said he owed the blond haired teen, hell, he practically owed him his life. He’d really been nothing but kind to him in the time they got to know each other, and Sora looked forward to learning more of the other boy throughout his stay.

Though, thinking back to the creatures in white brought in some troubling thoughts. 

He still found it strange how he was able to make fire shoot out of his hands. He wondered if it was just a one-time thing. He studied the palm of his hands, almost as if waiting for the flames to manifest again. His hands remained bare.

***Knock* *Knock***

Sora turned towards the door hearing Roxas’s muffled voice from the other side.

“Still alive in there, Sora?” Roxas asked lightly.

Oh. Sora blinked. Had he really been in there that long? 

He unlocked and opened the door to find the blond standing at the door with a casual smirk.

“Hello there.” 

Pushing his prior thoughts on the back burner, Sora replied smirking as well, “Hi. What’s up, Roxas? You need to take a dump or something?” A playful tilt of his head.

Roxas retaliated by ruffling Sora’s hair to where the already messy mob of hair became even more disheveled. “Ooh, I see you got some wise guy in you!”

Sora laughed and batted the hand away. “That’s me! Sweet with a hint of spice.” He added with a showy pose.

Roxas raised a blond eyebrow amusedly. “I better watch out for you, then.” 

He focused his gaze on the clothes he gave Sora to wear. If he was being honest, he’d say that the brunet looked adorable with how loose his shirt was on him. Coupled that with the big smile on his smooth face, reminded Roxas of that of a small child, looking so innocent and sweet.

The blond then realized he was staring directly into bright ocean eyes. He jumped back with a startled yell from Sora being close to his face. The brunet giggled.

“Thought you said you’d be watching out.” 

Roxas blushed. He stuttered a few times before crossing his arms and looked away. “I wasn’t ready.” He reasoned as if it was some game that started without him.

“Didn’t know you needed a heads up.” 

“Yeah, well, I…..didn’t know either.” Roxas finished lamely. His lip twitched upwards. “You know, you’re pretty sneaky.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Sora remarked as he pranced away from the bathroom. He then turned around facing his host. “Thanks again for the clothes.”

“Don’t mention it. Sorry if they’re too big, they’re really the smallest I have.”

The brunet shrugged goodnaturedly. “No worries. They’re still comfy, so no complaints here.”

Roxas nodded. “I’m glad. I’m gonna change too, so hang tight, okay?” He took out of his dresser his usual sleepwear, the usual gray-white shirt with gray shorts, and walked into the bathroom.

After watching the bathroom door close, Sora looked around taking a closer look at some of the pieces of furniture and appliances adorning the room. He was pretty curious where Roxas had gotten his stuff and if they were things commonly owned by the residents in the town.

One thing that caught his attention was the globe-shaped lamp standing at the side of the bed giving off a white and purplish-blue glow. The brunet found himself entranced watching the blue plastic fish swim in a circle around a bed of coral. It brought his thoughts to the concept of the ocean.

How nice it must be to swim around in the sea, to submerge in the cool feel of the depths of the waters.

For some reason, Sora felt a sense of nostalgia thinking of the sea and everything that came with it.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The brunet could see himself standing on a beach.

Crisp salty air.

Palm trees swaying in the wind.

The bright and warm feel of the sun.

Clear blue skies.

The beautiful ferocity of the waves crashing onto the shore.

The smiles and laughter of children running on the warm sand, notably a silver-haired boy and a girl with hair a fiery red.

Sora blinked as an odd feeling overtook him. Did he know those two?

The kids turned around and smiled in his direction, both stretching a hand out.

_“Sora!”_

_“Sora.”_

Without thinking, the brunet stepped forward. But, as he did, the beach suddenly started to fade in and out much like an afterimage still clinging to existence. Sora frantically looked around as the surrounding area blurred together into a warped mess until all he could see was darkness. The only thing remaining was the two mysterious people still standing in the distance. Their hands still outstretched.

“ _ **NGNH!**_ ”

Sora subsequently dropped to his knees clutching his head. That deep searing pain he felt back in the forest had come back now tenfold as if his head was being clawed at from within. Curled into a fetal position on the ground, the brunet gasped out sobs as the pain intensified with every second.

The voices of the two individuals faint but still apparent as they repeatedly called out his name like a mantra. 

It only got worse as more voices he couldn’t distinguish joined in, distorted yet audible as they called to him from various directions.

_“So…..ra.”_

_“So...ra-a.”_

_“S-s--ooOo- **ra”**_

_“ **S…So…-o-O-ra** ”_

_**“SO-”** _

Sora could only scream at this point. The pain in his head became more severe as the tirade of voices persisted on him like a swarm.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Roxas had just gotten changed when he heard that horrific sound. Bursting out of the bathroom, his eyes widened in horror at the sight of his friend on the floor holding his head screaming bloody murder. 

Roxas rushed over and kneeled down next to Sora, scooping him up to hold him tightly in his arms. This action had only distressed the brunet even more. 

“Sora?! Sora, what’s wrong?! Hey!! Sora!! Sora!!”

The blond might as well have been calling to the deaf. 

Sora cried out and thrashed around even harder, even when Roxas managed to untangle his hands from his head. The attempt to assist began to look more like a scuffle, Sora attempting to get away in his agonized frenzy with Roxas trying with all his might to prevent him from hurting himself. 

Even if he was physically stronger, Roxas found himself having difficulties fully restraining Sora due to the brunet constantly slipping out of his hold. If he wasn’t so focused on trying to calm him down, Roxas would’ve been impressed with how high Sora’s evasiveness was even in his frantic state. Eventually, the blond had succeeded in wrestling Sora to the ground, pinning the other boy’s wrists on both sides of his head. 

“Sora, please!! Listen to me!!!”

Roxas yelled once again in hopes of reaching the brunet, but to no avail. Sora only continued to struggle even as he was subdued, pain filled cries spilling from his lips, his eyes tightly shut while his head thrashed side to side.

“Sora, snap out of it!! Open your eyes!! It’s me! Roxas!! _**SORA!!!**_ ”

Sora let out a sharp gasp with his eyes snapped open. He stopped struggling but his eyes darted around as he panted, fearing he was still trapped within the confines of that cold misleading illusion. But, the brunet was met with only the normalcy of the bedroom along with the voices, thank god for that, no longer invading his ears.

Fortunately, he slowly calmed down thanks to the familiar sight of Roxas above him. The other boy breathing just as heavily with his blond hair looking just as messy as Sora’s.

“Roxas…?” Sora’s voice wavered. 

Roxas breathed out, more than relieved that the other boy regained his awareness but also still greatly worried and concerned for his well being. What the hell happened that caused Sora to panic like that? He also looked to be in a lot of pain. It was clear there were various things that had to be figured out in regards to the mysterious boy. But, that could wait. Right now, Roxas’s prime concern was to make sure Sora would be okay.

The blond-haired teen gently released his hold on the Sora’s wrists, the brunet quickly sitting up and throwing his arms around his neck hanging. Roxas hugged Sora back tightly, whispering words of comfort feeling the smaller boy tremble in his arms.

“It’s okay, Sora. You’re safe now, alright? I’ve got you.”

Sora managed a tiny whimper as he gripped the fabric of the other boy’s shirt.

“Shhhh.” Roxas shushed him gently, “I’ve got you, I’ve got you.” Roxas repeatedly whispered those words hoping they would stick. To remind Sora he was there for him.

The two stayed in the embrace for quite some time, the only sounds being the passive ticking from the clock on the wall and the shakiness of breaths coming from Sora. Eventually, Sora was calm enough to speak normally. “T-thank you, Roxas. I-I think I’m okay now.” He said in a small voice. 

Roxas sighed once more in relief. “I’m glad.” However, still preferring to keep the other boy in his arms.

“Thank you. I-I’m sorry if I-” The brunet stopped cold. As he made to pull away, he noticed something alarming.

Crossing diagonally In the middle of Roxas’s left cheek were three thin but very red scratch marks. 

“R-Roxas, your face-” Sora put a hand up to his mouth horrified with himself. He immediately knew he was at fault for the injury even if it was unintentional. “Oh god…Roxas, I-”

However, Roxas cut him off. “It’s-Don’t worry about that, Sora. You didn’t know what you were doing.” The scratches did sting a little, he had to admit, but it was nothing some disinfectant, bandages, and a week or so of healing couldn’t fix. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” He gently rubbed Sora’s back.

The brunet shook his head furiously. “How can you say that? I just hurt you!”

“And I’m saying it’s not your fault.” Roxas firmly held Sora’s shoulders preventing him from turning away. “I’m not angry, Sora. Nor do I blame you. It was an accident.” 

Despite the honesty that laid in those deep sapphire eyes, it didn’t do much to assuage the guilt Sora felt for not just hurting Roxas, but also how difficult he was already making things for the other boy. 

Roxas smiled slightly. “I can assure you this is nothing. I’ve been dealt worse by the town cats.” The attempted humor was enough for Sora to crack a tiny smile. But it was obvious the brunet was still ashamed about the whole thing.

The blond sighed. “How bad does it look?” he calmly asked, taking his hands away.

“Like a cat did get a hold of you,” Sora answered with a wince. He tentatively reached up to touch Roxas’s cheek but stopped his hand midway. “Let me patch it up.” Roxas opened his mouth to say something but the brunet continued.

“Please, Roxas, it’s the least I can do. Plus, it’ll probably be easier than trying to do it yourself.” 

Roxas had to admit, Sora did have a point there. He didn’t want the other boy to force himself after what just happened, but something in Sora’s eyes told Roxas it would be a moot point if he tried to stop him.

“Okay.” Roxas decided, “If it makes you feel better, I’ll let you play nurse.” he smirked. A weak smile forming on Sora’s face as both boys moved to get up. 

In the bathroom, Roxas took out the first aid kit he kept in the medicine cabinet and dug through the contents, finding a small tube of antiseptic cream and a white roll of bandages. After giving the stuff to Sora, he inspected himself in the mirror to assess the damage. He lightly touched at one of the scratches, letting out a hiss feeling the sting. Sora quickly put Roxas’s hand down.

“Don’t do that.” The brunet softly said before getting to work. 

“I gotta say, your claws cut sharper than any cat.” Roxas lightly commented as Sora started dabbing the cream on the inflicted area. The brunet bit his lip at the remark, but made no response. 

Roxas couldn’t help but observe Sora’s face the whole time, once again noting with wonderment at those big blue eyes and every move they made while their owner was deep in concentration, his tongue peeking out the side of pink lips. He had to hand it to Sora. Even when still shaken by the earlier incident, the brunet was intent on tending to him.

As Sora finished, Roxas saw those eyes look up into his. The blond quickly diverted his attention back to the mirror. The white adhesive had been well applied and fully covered the scratches. 

“Not bad, not bad at all.” Roxas turned and looked at Sora with a smile. Sora blushed scratching the back of his head, a smile also forming on his face. “Think I can get you for my next visit, Nurse?” Sora shook his head trying to reign in his laughter.

“Hopefully, it won’t come to that.”

The blond was glad that Sora’s mood seemed to improve. “How are you feeling?” He asked. 

Sora’s smile dropped a little. “Compared to earlier? Well, my head no longer feels like it’s about to explode, which I guess is good.” He answered honestly.

“It’s something.” Roxas consoled. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I don’t know if I can.” The brunet shook his head, unconsciously squeezing and pulling the fingers of his left hand in what could be perceived as a nervous tick. Thinking back on that illusion, still clear in his mind, made his head start to pound again. 

“Then don’t.” Roxas put a hand on top of Sora’s. “Not if it’s going to freak you out again.” Sora looked up, giving Roxas a clear view of his face. Seeing just how tired and stressed the brunet looked made Roxas pull the smaller boy into a hug. Probably the third hug they shared tonight. Sora let out a surprised squeak but didn’t pull away. He quickly relaxed in Roxas’s arms and brought his arms up returning the embrace.

“I’m sorry for earlier, Roxas.” Sora whispered, still feeling he should apologize properly for the scratches he gave Roxas.

“Sora?” 

The brunet lifted his head questioningly.

“Do me a favor. No more apologies, alright?” 

Sora blushed but smiled as he replied, “No promises, but I’ll try.” 

Roxas smiled and stepped away walking out of the bathroom. “We really should get some shut eye now. A good night’s sleep might be just what you need.” The brunet agreed wholeheartedly. He had reached the point of exhaustion to where just passing out on the floor began to look appealing. 

Sora watched as Roxas laid a mat across the floor. The blond then took a pillow from the bed and dropped it onto the mat before grabbing some blankets from his closet. 

“I’ll sleep here. You go take the bed.” Roxas told Sora as he arranged the makeshift bed.

“What?” Sora suddenly felt wide awake yet again. “I can’t take your bed! I mean, it’s your bed!”

“And you’re my guest.” Roxas retorted. He stood back up to face the other boy looking at him in protest. “Which means your comfort comes first.”

“Well, what if I said I’d be more comfortable on the floor?”

Seriously? An incredulous and bemused look formed on Roxas’s face. He couldn’t fathom why Sora would decline the offer of having the comforts of a nice warm bed. 

“Then, I’d say you’re just bullshitting,” Roxas crossed his arms.

Sora’s mouth dropped open for a second before a scowl took over. He put his hands on his hips. “And how would you know what I’d find comfortable?”

“Well, I know most people wouldn’t turn down a bed for the floor.”

“‘Most’ doesn’t mean ‘everyone’.” The brunet pointed out, tilting his head.

“Well, you know what, Sora?” Roxas began, “Fine, then. Don’t take the bed. But, I’m still taking the floor.” He finalizes, pointing down to the mat. “So, what are you going to do, Sora?”

Roxas wasn’t planning on backing down and he could tell the other boy wasn’t either. But, that was fine, he would get Sora into his bed one way or another. He grimaced. _‘Why did that sound so wrong?’_ He felt his face flush.

Sora pursed his lips after awhile, “Still not taking the bed.” he replied, crossing his arms and turning his head. Maybe he was being ridiculous at this point, but Sora stubbornly held on to his stance on the matter. 

“I won’t either.” Roxas stated, “So, either you agree to my terms or we can spend all night arguing about this, and no one gets any sleep.” The two boys held their gazes firm, crossed arms and all, waiting for the other to cave first.

Eventually, Roxas uncrossed his arms and asked with a softened tone, “What do you have against my bed, anyway?” 

This made the brunet look down. “Nothing. I just-” Sora tried to find the right words. “It just feels….. wrong to accept more than what you’ve already been doing for me.” That and the brunet still felt pretty horrible about the….incident. As far as Sora was concerned, Roxas had even more of a right to keep his comfort unchanged after dealing with that crap.

Oh. Roxas then came to a realization why Sora was so opposed to the arrangement. A light grin took form. _‘This guy’s really something else.’_ He thought with a small fondness.

“You feel you’re putting me out.” A statement but also a question to be confirmed.

Sora looked to the side but nodded, letting the blond know he was right on the munny.

“Sora,” Roxas softly said, “I’m telling you that’s not the case. No one was putting a gun to my head when I offered for you to stay in my house, or have you sleep here in my room. I don’t have to do these things, but I want to. You’re my friend, Sora.”

“And friends help each other.” Sora softly added, remembering the blond’s words in the forest. He looked back at Roxas as the latter nodded. A smile slowly crossed the brunet’s features.

“What do you wanna do, Sora?” Roxas asked, admitting to himself he may have been a bit forceful in his previous approach. He would at least give Sora a choice this time. The brunet crossed his arms and spent a minute or so thinking about it before a suggestion came to mind. Though, said suggestion made him look at Roxas nervously.

“Ummm…” Sora blushed and hesitated, “Maybe we could just….share the bed?”

Roxas’s eyes became wide as saucers while a deep flush spread across his cheeks. The prospect of sleeping in such close proximity to Sora had both his mind and heart racing for some reason. 

“I-I mean,” He stuttered a bit and answered before he could stop himself, “Sure! If that’s what you want, I’m fine with that. I guess it’s a better option than one of us sleeping on the floor.” 

Yeah, it was no big deal. He could handle sleeping with Sora...Next to Sora. 

Then he looked as the brunet beamed in response, his bright blue eyes twinkling as he expressed his happiness over finally resolving their small conflict, looking incredibly adorable.

Roxas gulped. 

Nope, he was fucked.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not even five minutes after getting into bed were the boys questioning their decision.

They were so close to each other lying side by side on Roxas’s bed their fingers were practically touching. God forbid if someone’s limb moved even the slightest inch. Not to mention, rolling around in attempts of getting comfortable.

“Oh! I’m sorry!”

“Crap, did I hit you?”

“Could you scoot a bit?”

“Might want to move your elbow.”

“Uh, Roxas? Could you please move your hand? I can feel it touching my leg.”

The blond pulled his hand away as if he’d been burnt. ‘ _All aboard the Awkward Express. Choo Choo.’_

The two finally just settled into their original positions sighing simultaneously. They both stared at the ceiling, suddenly not feeling so sleepy anymore.

“Well,” Roxas remarked, “So much for some needed shut eye.”

Sora sighed, and started to sit up, “Maybe I should go sleep on the mat, aftera-” He yelped as Roxas shot out an arm to the side pushing him back down onto the bed.

“Don’t even think about it.” The blond simply said, still facing the ceiling. “No take backs, you hear?”

“Okay…” Sora blushed noticing that the other boy was pretty strong. 

“Good.”

The unruly haired boy’s blush remained palpable even as Roxas moved his arm back. Sora could still feel the warmth that radiated from Roxas’s hand even through his shirt, provoking a shiver to run through his body. Swallowing, Sora decided to distract himself by turning his head to look at the drawn curtains masking the brightness outside.

“It’s kinda strange that the sun’s still out.” He remarked conversationally.

“Like I said,” Roxas turned onto his side facing Sora, resting his head on top of his hand. “It’s normal here.” 

“Right. But, still,” Sora reached a hand up towards the ceiling, “How often do you get to see the stars? Or the moon? When the sun’s out, it’s a time to be out and do many fun things while the sun provides light. But when the moon comes out, it’s letting the sun rest by lighting the way in its stead until the sun can rise again.”

Roxas felt an amused smile took form. “That’s quite a description. For someone who lost his memories, you sure have an interesting way of putting night and day together.”

Sora blushed and shrugged. “It just came to me, I probably heard it from someone before. Though, like everything else, it’s just too fuzzy to recall.” His tone was forlorn at the last part.

Roxas’s heart was aching for the other boy. Even if Sora couldn’t remember things from his past, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t still long for them. “We’ll get you sorted out, Sora.” He told him softly, “I don’t know how, but you’ll get your memories back.”

The brunet’s lips twitched in a half-smile. “You really think so?” he asked.

“I know so.” Roxas smiled determinedly. “And I’ll be here to help you to make it happen. It’s a promise.”

Sora brightened significantly. Promise. A word holding such a strong meaning and something that is commonly shared between friends. “Thank you, Roxas.” Sora whispered.

The blond nodded. “Try to get some sleep, okay? We got a busy day ahead of us.” He said with a wink.

Sora smiled and yawned. “Goodnight, Roxas…” He murmured before slowly closing his eyes and curled into a ball. Roxas stayed up watching the other boy until the soft and steady breaths were more apparent, a clear indication Sora was finally deep in slumber. Hopefully, a very peaceful slumber.

Roxas settled down himself soon after, Sora’s angelic and serene face being the last thing he saw before succumbing to sleep himself.

He would dream again, but this time his dream centered around a certain brown-haired blue-eyed boy with a smile brighter than the sun.

Strangely enough, Roxas was perfectly fine with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congratulations on making it to the end of the chapter and the end of the First Day. Well, Roxas and Sora are already feeling some tension going on, but they're too confused and more focused on Sora's amnesia to really dwell on that. 
> 
> Thinking about it, I kinda made Naminé here as sort of a "wingwoman". Which I am sticking with, so meh.
> 
> Meanwhile, Ansem the Whack's genius plan is in Road Block status for now so, no manipulating Roxas's experiences in the virtual Twilight Town for him. lol
> 
> Also, I have a headcanon that Roxas's place is really a proper flat than just the bedroom you see in the game. Maybe he did actually, it was just not important enough to be included.
> 
> Really appreciate the support I'm getting on this, you have no idea. I'm glad to be writing again and I'm glad that fellow Soroku shippers are still out and about.
> 
> Stay safe, everyone. And see you in the next chapter.


	3. The Second Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obligatory Chapter Warning: Violence with a small instance of blood and explicit language. And cheesy moments between two boys with crushes lol. (Though you probably already figured)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya.
> 
> Sorry for the long wait. Busy, Memory of Melody, you name it. Plus, this chapter and I had...disagreements. But on the upside, it's finished and ready to be read! 
> 
> Also, quick thanks for the support, you guys. they're all very much appreciated.
> 
> Anywho, happy reading!

_“What happened to my home? My Island? Ri **(bzzt)**_ \----Kai **(bzzt) __** _”_

_“They’ll keep hunting you, as long as you continue to hold the keyblade.”_

_“Hey! Why don’t you come with us? We can go to other worlds on our vessel.”_

_“Go with them- **(bzzt)** , especially if you want to find your friends.”_

_“Donald Duck!”_

_“Name’s Goofy!”_

_“I’m- **(bzzt)**_ ”

_“The Heartless have great fear of the keyblade.”_

_“That’s right. The keyblade.”_

_“The boy is a problem. He found one of the keyholes.”_

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

** The Second Day **

Roxas awoke with a gasp.

Sitting up, he took a couple of deep breaths as he mulled over the dream he had, parts still fresh in his mind while others lost as fleeting moments. The blond recalled the dream starting out peaceful until it was invaded by random scenes revolving around what sounded like a young boy. 

The boy didn’t sound familiar, Roxas couldn’t even catch a glimpse of what he looked like due to the scenes rolling by at a fast and sporadic rate while constantly cut off by waves of static. 

Though, if there was one thing about that dream that really shocked Roxas was the appearance of a certain key.

“A keyblade…?”

He thought about the same key-shaped weapon that popped out of nowhere during the photo fiasco yesterday, not doubting they were one and the same.

Roxas waved his arm doing a few slashes as if holding the weapon within his grasp.

He was beyond confused. What was that about traveling to different worlds? And who were all those characters? What was so important about a keyhole? The blond felt his head pound mulling over the various inquiries running through. 

Though, was it really that important to analyze over? It was just a dream, right?

Sighing, Roxas turned his head to look at the space next to him, smiling at the sight of Sora still sleeping soundly.

 _‘At least someone’s sleeping well.’_ he thought. He hoped his friend would feel a lot better than yesterday after resting in a safe comfy environment. Roxas would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried about Sora. He was still very much concerned for him, especially with what happened last night. 

He tensed as he thought back to the brunet lying crumpled on the floor, screaming as if he were being murdered.

He shook his head getting rid of that thought. _‘Sora’s going to be fine,’_ The blond told himself, ‘ _I’m gonna keep an eye on him, he’ll be safe with me.’_

Roxas turned his head forward, resting an arm on a raised knee. To think, after knowing Sora for just a day, he was already developing feelings of protectiveness towards the other boy. Sure, he was generally protective of his friends, but the level of it in regards to Sora felt different, it felt more fierce. 

Granted, he knew Sora wasn’t all that helpless. The way the brunet jumped into the fray during that confrontation against the white creatures despite his condition was remarkable. But, there was just something about the brunet that made Roxas want to protect him regardless.

Roxas heard some rustling near him, breaking his train of thought. He looked over and saw that Sora had started to rouse. The brunet rolled around and yawned, pushing himself into a sitting position rubbing at his eyes.

Sora looked at Roxas with half-lidded eyes, smiling drowsily. Roxas almost laughed, Sora didn’t seem to notice nor care how rumpled he looked, his shirt collar sliding off his shoulder as well as sporting an obvious case of bedhead with his chocolate brown locks falling all disarrayed onto his face.

Sora merely swept the messy bangs out of his face. “‘Morning, Roxas.” He greeted, voice slightly rough from drowsiness.

“‘Morning,” The blond returned with a smile of his own. “Sleep well?” Sora nodded.

“I did, actually. You?”

“Eh,” Roxas rubbed the back of his head, “Well enough, I guess.”

“Huh?” Sora tilted his head quizzically. “What do you mean? Did you have a bad dream?” He asked, rotating to properly face Roxas, concern showing in his ocean eyes.

Roxas decided it wouldn’t hurt to confide with Sora about his dream. “It wasn’t ‘bad’, per se. But, there was something in it that was just….. bizarre.”

“What did you see, Roxas?” Sora gently urged.

“You remember yesterday in front of that old mansion, how we fought those guys in white?” The brunet nodded, recalling the event clearly. “And that key-shaped weapon that just appeared out of nowhere?”

Sora winced and nodded. For reasons he couldn’t comprehend, the mention of that key made him feel uneasy.

“I saw it again. Everyone in the dream kept calling it the Keyblade.” Roxas flexed his fingers, not noticing the brunet turning pale upon hearing the last word.

“The Keyblade…” Sora repeated almost trancelike. He felt there was something significant about it he should be aware of. But, try as he might, he couldn’t make sense why. Thinking about it was like trying to look in a window fogged over. He quickly snapped out of his daze before he could fall any deeper, focusing instead on Roxas.

“Yeah. Weird, right?” The blond remarked with a half-smile. “It felt so real, too.” 

Sora asked cautiously, “Do you….think your dream might mean something, Roxas? The timing sounds pretty suspicious to be just a coincidence.”

The blond frowned pensively. “I wouldn’t know what. I’ve already been having some weird dreams for a while, but this one...” He sighed deeply. “I don’t know, I could just be overthinking it.”

Sora shrugged his shoulder, “Maybe, maybe not. Dreams aren’t always random, you know, they can even tell you something about yourself.” the last part stated absent-mindedly as he ran a hand over a lump on the blanket. Roxas had to ask for clarification due to how hushed the brunet’s voice was at the end.

“Sorry, didn’t catch all that. What were you saying, Sora?” 

“Huh? Oh!” Sora exclaimed coming back to himself, “N-nothing! I was just thinking out loud.” he then changed the subject asking, “‘You think that ‘keyblade’ will show up again, Roxas?” 

The blond stared at Sora in suspicion at the sudden strange behavior, but then decided to just leave it alone. Roxas knew he shouldn’t expect Sora to tell him literally everything if he wasn’t comfortable sharing, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t holding out hope to gain his full trust in that aspect eventually.

“I doubt it,” The blond eventually replied, “maybe unless we had to fight those things again, though that’s not high on my to-do list.” Sora seconded that statement. Despite his curiosity about the key-shaped weapon, he didn’t know if it was worth running into those creatures a second time. 

“Anyway, we should go get ready,” Roxas suggested after glancing at the clock. “No use wasting the day wrecking our brains over this.” He patted Sora’s shoulder before moving to get off the bed.

“Yeah...You’re right.” Sora agreed. His ears then perked upon hearing the faint noise in the form of a bell gonged coming from outside. “What’s that sound?”

Recognizing the source of the sound, Roxas grinned and crawled over to the window. After drawing the drapes apart, he then pushed open the window with the ringing from the clock tower now even more sounded.

Sora instantly joined Roxas at the window sill and eagerly grasped the edge looking out, awestruck by the view of the town outside. His bright blue eyes glittering, emphasizing his fascination. Roxas smiled, also enjoying the view.

“Remember that clock tower I told you about?” The blond explained, “Well, you’re hearing it right now. You can’t really see it at this angle, but it’s there.”

“That’s fine, the view’s still nice,” Sora commented, resting his arms on the wooden sill.

“Yeah, it’s one of my favorite parts living here.”

The boys shared a smile before turning back out to admire the sight of the still waking town, feeling content as they soaked up the morning air in the dawn of a new day. 

A new day that will bring new adventures.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Roxas and Sora stood in front of the bathroom mirror brushing their teeth. Sora was using an extra toothbrush Roxas gave him, an ‘S’ drawn with a black marker on the wooden handle. The two weren’t dressed out of their pajamas yet, having lost track of time from gazing out the bedroom window.

Roxas was surprised at how much time had passed, he’d usually be out the door and on his way to the Usual Place by now. But, he didn’t mind, it wasn’t like they were in any rush. Plus, it felt rather nice to have someone to spend the morning with.

Roxas let Sora use the shower first, leaving the brunet a clean towel and a new set of clothes to wear in place of the ill-fitting jumpsuit. 

With Sora still in the bathroom, Roxas sat at the edge of his bed thinking what they could do today. He definitely was going to show his new friend around the town like he intended, maybe also go up the clock tower in Station Heights. No doubt Sora would like that.

The blond idly scratched at his cheek and felt the bandages, causing him to think back on last night. Roxas wasn’t concerned about the scratches, but not knowing what caused Sora to panic still bothered him immensely. However, he wouldn’t push Sora about it, not wanting to risk stressing him out. 

Roxas’s eyes were drawn to the blue and purple lamp standing near his bed, the plastic fish swimming in the usual circle. For some reason, the blond felt himself becoming tense the longer he stared at it and had to look away. It was bewildering how a harmless piece of furniture could suddenly instill such nervousness within him. _‘It’s probably because of that dream,’_ He reasoned, _‘It’s got me all worked up.’_

Good thing they were going to be out for most of the day, he could use the fresh air.

Roxas’s musings were interrupted by the sound of the bathroom door opening. Turning towards the direction of the door, he saw Sora step out, his brown locks damp and flattened from the shower, wearing the clothes Roxas had laid out for him.

The brunet was dressed in a zipped up high collar black vest, red and blue stripes running downwards in the length of the zipper, over a white shirt with the sleeves accented by black edges. And for the bottoms, Sora had on a pair of dark grey cargo shorts ending just at the middle of the knees. The outfit was very similar to Sora’s previous ensemble, the only constant item being the three-pointed crown necklace around his neck. 

“How’re those fitting?” Roxas asked.

Sora answered with a smile, “Better than what I was wearing before. Did you have my last outfit in mind when you picked this out?” 

“Haha. Nah, I just blindfolded myself and grabbed whatever was in my dresser.”

“You’re telling I could’ve been wearing a chicken costume right about now?” Sora mock gasped, raising his hands up to his cheeks.

Roxas laughed, “I’m kidding. I just picked something I thought would be to your liking.” He paused. “Wait. How’d you know about the chicken costume?”

Sora blinked a few times. “I didn’t…?” his shoulders then shook in poorly suppressed laughter at the image of Roxas dressed as a big yellow bird. The brunet originally was just joking with his remark, but oh, did he need to hear this. “But, now I’m curious.”

Roxas’s cheeks burned red. _‘Damn it!’_ he thought. He definitely walked into that one. “I’d rather not talk about it…” the blond muttered, averting his attention to the floor. He mentally cursed Hayner, it was his fault Roxas even had the damn thing in the first place.

“Oh, come on, Roxas. You can tell me! I promise I won’t tell,” Sora moved and plopped next to Roxas on the bed making the mattress bounce. “Please?” He begged, his lower lip sticking out in a small pout.

Roxas twitched when he was caught in Sora’s big ocean eyes now gazing pitifully at him. He felt his heart flutter and swallowed. Those eyes would be the death of him, he was sure. However, he refused to give in that easily, even if Sora’s sad kitten impression did make him want to punch himself in the face.

“No.” The blond stated firmly, “Sorry, Sora, but that’s something I’m taking to the grave.”

“But, _Roxas_....” 

Roxas raised an eyebrow. “Are you whining, Sora?” 

Instead of answering, the messy-haired brunet just continued to stare at Roxas with that same pleading look. The latter twitched some more, his resolve diminishing bit by bit, before finally conceding defeat.

He groaned out, “ _Fine_.” throwing his hands up and sighed. “That’s dangerous, you know.” He remarked in reference to Sora’s pouting.

“Huh?” Sora tilted his head genuinely puzzled.

“Never mind.” Roxas quickly retracted and proceeded to tell the short yet humiliating tale, embarrassment promptly setting in as he remembered the events that transpired. “Pretty much, Hayner challenged me to put on a chicken costume for a dare.” Roxas recounted, a scowl taking form. “And because I knew he’d be annoying about it were I to refuse, I did it.”

“Oh, that doesn’t sound too bad-”

“The dare also involved me having to run down the halls of our school wearing said costume,” Roxas stated in a flat voice. “Where people were still hanging around. Which means at least half of the student body had to have seen this giant chicken running around like a jackass going ‘ _baaaawk-bawk-bawk-bawk_!’” The blond tucked his hands into his armpits and flapped his arms, grumpily imitating the characteristics of a chicken. He flopped back on his bed with a groan, laying his arm over his eyes. “I really hated him after that.”

Sora, who was giggling during Roxas’s story, quietened upon seeing the other boy very disgruntled. He laid back and on his side facing the blond who still had his face covered. “‘Hate’ is a strong word, doncha think?” he said. Roxas moved his arm and turned his head to look at Sora.

“I guess I am exaggerating,” The blond affirmed, “I did forgive him after a while. I wouldn’t stay mad at him forever.” he then added with a conspiratorial smirk, “Though, buying ice cream for a year might’ve helped convince me quicker.” Sora giggled, happy things had worked out between the friends but also amused at the compensation Roxas received for his trouble.

“So, ice cream is all it takes to get on your good side?”

Roxas let out a snicker. “Wouldn’t be the only thing. Though, if it’s sea salt ice cream, you’d probably have a fighting chance.” They both laughed.

Sora hummed in thought. “I don’t know if I have a favorite ice cream flavor, but I feel something fruit flavored would be my weakness.”

“I can see it,” Roxas replied. “You do seem like the type who’d be more partial to fruits.”

“Maybe I am. I might even like them better than sea salt flavor.” Sora said, his eyes mirthful.

“Now, I doubt that. No one I know can resist sea salt flavor.”

“I might be the first.” The brunet replied, his expression full of mischief.

Roxas sat up, Sora following suit, and smirked. “We’ll see about that. I’m just saying, you’ll be wowed once you try it.” The blond then stood up and went to collect his own outdoor attire.

“You sound confident.” Sora chirped, lightly kicking his bare feet as he watched the other boy walk into the bathroom.

“That’s because I know I’m right.” Roxas casually waved a hand before closing the door behind him.

The brunet rolled his eyes but smiled. Sora really appreciated the relaxed atmosphere between him and Roxas. A part of him was afraid there’d be some awkwardness or tension due to the mishaps that’d already transpired, but thankfully that didn’t appear to be the case. 

When it came to the sleeping arrangements, however…

Sora blushed thinking about the closeness that came with sharing a bed with the blond. Notwithstanding the fact that it was his idea, the butterflies in his stomach really made themselves known in that circumstance. He was a little embarrassed that he’d acted with more stubbornness than necessary but, as far as he was concerned, preventing Roxas from sleeping on the hard floor took more precedence.

“Honor before reason, I suppose,” Sora muttered in good humor. He wasn’t sure where he’d heard that saying from, but it sounded appropriate.

Sora held his stomach when he heard it rumble. He realized he hadn’t eaten anything ever since Roxas brought him into town. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t think Roxas had yet either. That’s when an idea struck him. Getting up from the bed, Sora made his way out of the room towards the kitchen.

Since he was staying with Roxas for a while, he figured he should make himself useful.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The two men were staring intently at the screens of the main computer. After hours of working through any possible cause of the bug, they were confounded to see the system suddenly operating as it was earlier.

“Sora’s vitals appear stable.” Diz muttered, his visible eye flickering between the screens. “However, the restoration process has remained halted, and we have no surveillance on the town.”

The hooded man shook his head and asked, “I take it the town is still inaccessible?”

DiZ rubbed at his temple. “For the time being. Whatever had infected this machine, it completely rewrote the coding.” A gruff yet amused laugh escaped his throat. “I can only imagine how fascinated a certain someone would be of this occurrence…” The last part was uttered mainly to himself, a distant look appearing in his eye. Diz quickly dismissed the wandering thought, for it was not the time or place to dwell on pointless nostalgia.

The other man’s attention stayed focused on the screen displaying Sora’s vitals. Though his posture was composed, one of his gloved hands began squeezing itself into a tight fist. “We should stop the program for now-”

“Absolutely Not.” DiZ immediately interjected, his voice reverberating off the walls of the lab. “We’ve already come this far, we cannot afford any more offsets. Besides, it is apparent the Organization scoundrels have found their way in.”

The hooded man quickly turned his gaze at the still seated DiZ in disbelief. “All the more reason to do so. We’re risking Roxas falling back into their hands. Sora will be in danger if that happens.”

DiZ was silent for a moment, his mouth set in a deep frown. “Roxas will just have to hold his own until we get this resolved,” The elderly man eventually said. He regarded the other with a passive glance. “And let me remind you, at this time he still holds control of the keyblade. If he was strong enough to pose a challenge to you, surely he could handle a few lowly dusks.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Roxas emerged out of the bathroom, freshly showered and dressed in his usual attire while rubbing a towel over his hair. He noticed upon taking off the towel that Sora wasn’t in the room anymore. Depositing the towel in his hamper, Roxas walked into his living room looking around wondering where the other boy had slipped off to.

“Sora?” He called.

“In here.” a voice answered from the kitchen. Roxas went into the kitchen and found Sora standing at the counter humming a small tune with his back facing him. The blond moved closer until he was joining Sora at the counter, curious to see what he was up to.

Looking over, he saw that Sora was using a butter knife to cut up pieces of a peeled banana into two plastic blue bowls filled with cereal. The brunet looked over noticing Roxas and smiled.

“Hey. Hope you don’t mind me using your kitchen.”

“Not at all. This is pretty much your home too right now. Whatever you need to use, go for it.”

“Glad to hear.” The brunet replied warmly. He then took the bowls and went to go set them on the blue white-clothed covered table near the window of the kitchen. Meanwhile, Roxas had taken out a pair of silver spoons from a drawer under the counter and moved to retrieve the carton of milk he had in his fridge. Soon, the two boys met at the kitchen table ready to start their first meal of the day.

“Thanks for making this, by the way.” Roxas said as he took his place at the table. He handed Sora a spoon and proceeded to pour the milk into his own bowl. Afterward, he set the carton on the table making sure it was at a reachable distance for Sora.

“No problem,” Sora chirped, taking the carton. “I figured you’d be hungry. I probably could’ve made something more filling, but I didn’t want to leave a mess.”

“Don’t worry, cereal is okay by me.” More than okay actually. Roxas was pretty hungry having skipped over dinner last night, so a bowl of cereal was just as good as any full course meal in that instance. “You better dig in, though. You’ll need your energy for that tour I mentioned.” 

Sora beamed. “That’s right! I can’t wait to see what the rest of town is like.” He scooped up some cereal from his bowl but then paused. “But, what about the others? Are they expecting us?”

“They can live without seeing us for a few hours,” Roxas shrugged as he mixed around his cereal within the milk. “Twilight Town isn’t all that big, we’re bound to run into them at some point anyway.” He casually described before taking a bite.

Sora nodded. “I guess that makes sense.” He mused before wolfing down his spoonful of cereal.

Roxas chuckled and remarked, “Someone was ready for breakfast.” 

“I kinda was,” Sora’s expression turned sheepish. “My stomach was really yelling at me for it.”

Roxas grimaced in self-rebuke. “No wonder. You must’ve been pretty malnourished yesterday.” He couldn’t believe he didn’t think of offering Sora some food and water earlier, that should’ve been the first thing done after taking the brunet into his home. God only knows how long Sora must’ve been going without any sort of provisions.

However, Sora shook his head, not looking the least disconcerted. “It’s okay, Roxas. With everything going on yesterday, food was probably the least of our concerns.” He scooped up another spoonful of cereal, “And cheer up! It’s a new day, which means opportunities for a brand new start.”

Roxas’s lips twitched upwards, cheering up at Sora’s words. “You’re right. Let’s both make the best of it.” The brunet smiling in agreement. 

The meal continued at a relaxed pace, the two occasionally throwing in some chatter as they ate. Even if Sora couldn’t offer much information about himself, he had no problem listening to Roxas talk about his interests or about some past hijinks he and his friends got into. In all honesty, Sora could probably listen to Roxas talk about pretty much anything. He’ll admit, the blond had a nice, smooth, and transfixing voice on him. 

“Sora?”

The brunet in question jumped out of his musings hearing Roxas address him. A startled “Huh?” the only intelligent response he could manage.

Roxas trained a concerned look at the other, noticing Sora had ignored his bowl. “You suddenly stopped eating just now. Are you sure you’re okay?” 

“Oh! O-of course I am!” Sora stammered his answer all flustered. “I just needed to digest, it’s no biggie.” He did a little nervous laugh before becoming engrossed in wolfing down the remainder of his cereal, hiding his flushed face in his bowl.

Roxas was nonplussed, there was that evasiveness again. “If you say so, Sora.” He proceeded to clear his own breakfast, a hidden smile taking form at how humorous the brunet’s jumpiness was then. _‘Like a skittish kitten.’_ he thought with fond amusement.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With breakfast finished, the dishes washed and left on the drying rack, the boys promptly exited Roxas’s flat.

They simultaneously shielded their eyes as they stepped out into the street, fully prepared for the sun’s bright rays. Upon passing the Usual Place, Sora noticed when he glanced over that none of Roxas’s band of friends could be seen. 

“Huh,” Sora tilted his head. “‘Guess they’re busy?”

“Could be. Pence must be out giving back the stolen photos to their owners. Olette usually has some sort of errand to run before she comes here. As for Hayner…” Roxas paused before shrugging. “Who knows. Knowing him, he probably slept in or something.”

“Still don’t understand how anyone can sleep when it’s always light out.”

“You had no trouble conking out last night.” Roxas teased.

“To be fair, I was exhausted.” Sora rubbed the back of his head.

“I know, Sora.” Roxas’s expression softened. “C’mon, it’s time you see what Twilight Town is all about.” He waved a hand indicating for Sora to follow.

The two boys walked side by side as they ventured down the path leading towards the Station Heights section of Market Street. Roxas intentionally avoided the path to the Sandlot, figuring Seifer and his gang would be hanging around there. He very much preferred that Sora didn’t meet Seifer, aware the latter wouldn’t hesitate to antagonize the brunet for being associated with Roxas and his friends. Looking over his shoulder, Roxas made a mental note to warn his new friend about the Disciplinary Committee later.

After descending the slope from the Back Alley, they came to an area that Sora noticed appeared slightly enclosed due to how the surrounding buildings bordered around the space while also blocking out the sun, providing a good amount of shade for the people leisuring about. A few notable shops were open, Roxas pointing Sora out to the ones he often patroned at, as well as advising which shops sold certain items at the best price. 

The boys once again found themselves on the receiving end of odd stares by the small crowd. Roxas initially theorized some were still engrossed with the photo incident, but then saw that most of the stares were fixated on Sora. The brunet on his part was smiling nervously at the onlookers and waved in greeting. Some smiled and waved back while others huddled together in whispers occasionally pointing at the brunet.

Roxas glared at the gossipers and put a hand at Sora’s back ushering him along under the arch and out into the more open space of the Tram Commons.

The boys continued walking along the path, Roxas pointing more things out to Sora, and Sora taking in the sights while also occasionally asking questions about the things that piqued his interest.

Roxas noticed the Candy Shop coming into view and smiled. He tapped Sora’s shoulder, getting his attention. “There’s someone else I’d like you to meet.” They ran up to the open stand where Ms. Marnie was sitting behind the counter reading a book. Hearing the boys approach, she looked up and smiled. She closed her book and set it aside before standing up.

“Good morning Roxas. How nice of you to stop by.” Ms. Marnie kindly greeted, always happy to see her favorite visitor.

“Morning, ma’am,” Roxas replied, “Have you gotten your photo back yet?”

Ms. Marnie nodded. “I did, in fact. Your friend Pence came by earlier to deliver it to me. He said that you and another boy were responsible for retrieving them.”

Roxas smiled. “It’s true. He’s right here, in fact,” He gestured to Sora. “This is Sora. Sora, meet Ms. Marnie. She runs the Candy Shop.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” Sora greeted her with a cheerful smile.

“A pleasure to meet you as well, Sora,” The old shopkeeper kindly regarded. “I don’t believe we’ve ever met. Did you just move here?”

“Umm,” Sora fidgeted, being unsure how to properly explain his circumstances. “Not exactly…I’m...kinda here by accident, I think.” Ms. Marnie appeared confused by the brunet’s statement.

Roxas clarified the situation for the shopkeeper by explaining how he found Sora unconscious while hunting for the picture thief and that he was without his memories.

The elderly woman gasped. “Oh, my! You poor thing.” Her eyes held open sympathy towards the brunet.

Sora waved it off, not wanting her to worry about him. “Thank you for your concern, ma’am. But, I’m okay. Roxas is actually letting me stay with him for a while until my memories come back.”

“Thank goodness for that.” Ms. Marnie said. “That is very kind of you, Roxas,” She praised the blond and said to Sora, “Roxas is such a dear, I have no doubt you’ll be perfectly fine under his care.” 

Sora giggled softly. He was looking at the taller boy when he replied, “I don’t, either. He’s been doing a good job so far.” Roxas blushed and opted to look at some colorful jar-encased sweets sitting on the counter.

“I’m glad to hear. But, dearie, if there’s anything you need, please don’t be afraid to ask.” 

The brunet nodded thanking her. The three spent some time chatting. Roxas smiled seeing his new friend and favorite shop owner already talking like they knew each other for years. Sora was in the middle of asking Ms. Marnie something when a light meow joined in from above. They all looked up in time to see the elderly woman’s cat leaping down from the roof onto the counter. 

“Oh!” Sora’s eyes lit up at the sight of the grey and white cat casually washing her paw. “Hi, kitty!” 

Ms. Marnie chuckled. “It appears Chiro wants to say hello.”

The feline’s ears twitched upon noticing the brunet and lowered her paw to inspect the unfamiliar human. Her tail curled into a question mark as her orange eyes bore curiously into blue ones. Sora extended his hand and stuck out his forefinger, allowing a few inches away from the cat’s head. Roxas and Ms. Marnie watched as Chiro nudged her nose at Sora’s finger a few times before pulling back seemingly in thought. A few seconds later, the feline nudged her head under Sora’s hand and purred, encouraging the brunet to pet her. Sora happily obliged.

Roxas and Ms. Marnie were both pleasantly surprised at this occurrence. Roxas’s heart warmed at the sight of Sora cooing sweetly as he scratched the back of Chiro’s ears.

“Now, would you look at that? Chiro has already taken a liking to your friend,” The elderly woman remarked to Roxas. “She usually doesn’t get used to strangers this quickly.”

“Guess Sora’s just special.” Roxas smiled, still watching Sora and Chiro playing together.

“I seem to recall her quickly growing a fondness for you as well, Roxas.” The blond looked at the shopkeeper whose smile fell seeing the bandages on Roxas’s cheek. “Roxas, what on earth happened to your face?” Her grey brows rose in shock.

“Huh?” The blond held a hand to his cheek and was reminded about the bandages and the reason for them. “Oh, this? It’s nothing,” He stated casually. “I tried petting one of the town cats earlier and as you can tell, it didn’t like it.” Not entirely inaccurate either since Roxas did have a habit of feeding and playing with the wandering cats from time to time. Ms. Marnie knew of that little tidbit and seemed to buy his white lie.

“You should be more careful, Roxas,” Ms. Marnie sighed, “You know how temperamental those cats can be.”

“Haha, you know me,” Roxas laughed sheepishly, relieved the matter was dropped. “Anyways, we should be going now. I’m glad you have your photo back. Maybe next time Sora and I stop by, we can all take a new one together.” 

Ms. Marnie smiled warmly. “What a wonderful idea, Roxas, I would like that ever so much.”

Sora, who had his attention back on the two, nodded cheerfully at the idea. “Glad everything’s good with you, ma’am. It was great talking with you. And thanks for letting me play with Chiro.” 

“Think nothing of it, dear,” The woman chuckled, “I am ever so grateful for what you and Roxas did. Do come by again, soon. Chiro and I would love to have you boys over again.” The cat meowed happily as if agreeing with her owner’s statement. “There might be some freshly baked brownies waiting, too.” Ms.Marnie added with a wink.

“Now you’ll have to come back,” Roxas said to Sora, giving him a light nudge. “Her brownies are the best in town.”

“Wow, there’s no way I can refuse now.” Sora joked. They all laughed heartily. 

After wishing Ms.Marnie a good day, the two boys set off from the Candy Shop, waving at the elderly lady one more time before turning away. The shop owner watched their backs smiling tenderly.

“Such a sweet boy.” She thought in regards to Sora. It was indeed very fortunate that Roxas made a friend in such a person. Though, something in her bones told her that a close friendship wouldn’t be the only thing the boys will share.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next destination in Sora and Roxas’s excursion was the Armor Shop. Unlike the day before, Biggs acted more agreeable towards Roxas and gave a warm welcome to Sora. While the blond was still a little miffed from the shopowner’s previous discourtesy, he managed a polite front for Sora’s sake. To his credit, Biggs had the decency to look a little embarrassed about the ordeal and had even offered the boys a discount for the next purchase they made from his shop. Roxas felt better with that.

The visit to the Jewelry Store was more pleasant. 

Jessie immediately apologized to Roxas for doubting him, which he accepted as he was just glad she finally understood that he wasn’t a thief. Once Sora was introduced, the blond-haired woman had been charmed instantly, very taken with the brunet’s kind and lively personality. Before the boys left, Jessie commented to Roxas how adorable and nice Sora was and asked if he planned on keeping him. When Roxas asked what she meant by that, he only got a wink.

 _‘Girls are so confusing sometimes.’_ He thought as he and Sora departed from the Jewelry Shop.

The two walked around some more, only for their excursion to be interrupted in the form of Sora nearly slipping on a lone white skateboard in his path. Fortunately, Roxas had reacted quickly and stopped the brunet’s fall.

Sora, who was originally stunned from the fall, let out a sigh in relief. “Thanks, Roxas.”

“You okay?”

“I am, but geez!” Sora glared down at the offending piece of sports equipment. “Whoever left this here must really want to kill someone. I could’ve cracked my head!”

“Sorry about that,” Roxas said as he helped the shorter teen steady himself. “To be honest, I don’t know who keeps leaving these skateboards out either. You can find others just like it all over town.” He explained to the astonished brunet. “we’ve tried collecting and storing them, but they somehow always end up in the same place the very next day. Nowadays, everyone is just told to watch their step.”

Sora’s eyebrows raised. “That’s….strange. But it’s also something I would’ve appreciated being informed about ahead of time.” He placed his hands on his hips giving Roxas a look.

Roxas laughed sheepishly. “Yeah, that was my bad. Sorry.” 

Sora smiled and shook his head. “It’s okay. No harm no foul, right?” The brunet looked back down at the skateboard with intrigue. “It does look fun, though. Do you skate, Roxas?”

A smirk took form on Roxas’s face as he turned to the board sitting a few feet away. “Just a little.” And just as he said that, Roxas ran and hopped with both feet landing on the board sending it into motion. He then pushed on the ground with one foot gaining more speed. 

Sora watched with great astonishment as the blond jumped on a stair rail making the board grind upwards allowing him to launch himself into the air, pulling off a few tricks in the form of expertly coordinated grabs and spins while mid-air. After a few more spins, Roxas made a smooth landing back on the street, gliding leisurely as he reached Sora. 

Some passerbyers were applauding for Roxas, notably impressed with his improvised demonstration.

Sora put his hands on his hips arching an eyebrow. “‘A little’, huh?” he smirked. Roxas hopped off the board and stepped on it from one end to keep it from rolling away. “You just wanted to show off.”

“What? It’s not that hard,” Roxas said, shrugging casually. “You wanna try?”

Sora nodded eagerly and answered, “Sure!” Catching the board under his foot when Roxas kicked it over his way. “Though, I don’t think I’ve ever skated before.” Besides keeping himself leveled with the placement of one foot on the board and the other planted on the ground, Sora was lost on how to proceed. Roxas took notice and moved closer in order to assist the other boy.

“Need some help?” The blond looked down, checking Sora’s feet placement. “You’re good on the placing, now just kick with your back foot to get it rolling.”

“Like this?” Sora pushed with his back foot along the pavement, sending the board’s wheels in motion. Roxas smiled and nodded encouragingly.

“There you go, you’re getting it!” He walked beside Sora keeping an arm out in case the brunet was to lose balance. Though Sora did wobble a few times, he managed to keep his position vertical.

The brunet grew more confident with every distance he covered and kicked with his back foot a few more times, increasing his speed from a steady glide to a bursting slide. Sora laughed gleefully as he rode, leaning side to side maintaining his balance, his hair blowing back from the speed. Roxas in the meantime was running to keep up with the other boy, all the while cheering him on.

Eventually, they found themselves heading towards a sloped railing that led to the top of some structures. 

“Hey, Sora? Now’s a good time to slow down!” Roxas called as a worried expression took form.

But, before Roxas could instruct Sora on how to stop, the brunet filled with a sense of daring made a jump landing the board on the railing allowing him to traverse upward onto the building. 

Roxas was taken aback and could only look on as Sora rail-grinded, with a finesse unexpected from a supposed beginner. 

As for the brunet himself, he was having the time of his life jumping over the gaps between buildings, grabbing onto the board while midair to do some kicks just as Roxas had a few moments ago. Sora then made another jump off the rail letting out a hoot, his blue eyes energetic and shining under the sun's rays. For that moment, he felt like a bird, soaring through the air feeling the wind in his face, unshackled by the ground below.

But, of course, gravity would see to it he went back down. As he fell, Sora did a few spins on the way down until he and the board made it back onto the street making a soft landing. Sora rolled on the board for a few feet before hopping off, stumbling into a quick run as he regained his footing.

Roxas caught up to Sora who had a big smile on his face. “Wow, that was fun!” The brunet exclaimed, placing his hands behind his head, still full of exhilaration. He heard some cheering and clapping going on behind him and looked over his shoulder, blushing at the attention he had garnered from the small group of bystanders who were openly expressing their amazement at his stunt. He forgot people were still watching.

Once the people had dispersed, Sora turned back to look at Roxas who stared at him bemusedly. “Huh? What’s up, Roxas?”

Roxas crossed his arms. “Now who’s showing off?” He remarked with a smirk. 

Sora stuck his tongue out playfully. “What? It’s not that hard, right?” he replied, cheekily quoting Roxas’s earlier comment. “You made it look like a breeze back there.”

“Yeah, but it took some practice for me to get as good as I am now.” Roxas shook his head. “Are you sure you’ve never skated before, Sora?”

“I don’t think I have,” Sora replied, “maybe I’m just a fast learner.” He shrugged.

“Heh. Maybe a little too fast there.” Roxas slipped an arm around Sora’s shoulder as they walked. “But, that was impressive for your first time. We should do it again sometime.”

Sora perked up. “Yeah? Will you teach me some other cool moves?” 

“What for? You seem like a natural, you’ll probably be the one teaching me.” The blond jested. The two laughed and talked more about skating when they heard some feet running towards them from behind.

“Hey, guys!” 

Sora and Roxas turned around as Hayner, Pence, and Olette stopped in front of them.

“So, this is where you’ve been the whole time,” said Pence, “We’ve been looking everywhere for you two.”

“You both sure put on quite a show there,” Hayner smirked. “Better watch out, Roxas. Sora could probably outdo you.”

Roxas rolled his eyes. “It’s not a contest. Sora just so happens to know how to handle a skateboard.” The brunet nodded.

“Besides, I don’t think I can expect to outdo Roxas anytime soon.” Sora chirped, “He’s the one who has the experience. This was the first time I’ve even touched a skateboard.”

Hayner looked at Sora unconvinced. “You sure about that? You got some skill for a newbie.”

“Could be muscle memory,” Pence offered, “Sora may not remember being able to skate, but he can still do it without having to think about it.”

“That’s plausible,” Olette said, “But, either way, that was really amazing, Sora.” She smiled at the brunet boy who rubbed the back of his head sheepishly at the phrase. “Roxas must be thrilled to have a skating partner now. You could be the only person in town to keep up with him.”

Roxas smiled towards Sora. “You’re not wrong, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing Sora skate more.” The brunet smiling back. 

Olette giggled, only for her smile to fade when she noticed the bandages on Roxas’s cheek. “Roxas…” 

Hayner and Pence reacted with surprise as they too saw the bandages. “What happened, Roxas?” The leader instantly implored.

Besides Roxas, Sora’s dropped smile and guilt-ridden eyes had gone unnoticed by the others. The brunet full well remembered what happened. He was still in disbelief how lenient Roxas was in brushing the incident aside. Sora would have confessed to being the reason for the bandages, guilty conscience and all, had Roxas not spoken.

“Some cat got riled up. It’s no biggie.” The blond’s tone was casual as if he were discussing some book he read in passing.

“Oh. Is that all?” Hayner laughed. “Just can’t stay away from those cats, huh?”

Olette shook her head. “You should be more mindful about that, Roxas, they’re wild for a reason.” Pence nodded agreeing with the girl’s statement.

“Yeah, can’t expect all of them to be like Chiro.” The headband cladded boy stated.

“Yeah, yeah. I got it.” Roxas sighed.

Hayner moved between Roxas and Sora, hanging his arms around both of them. “C’mon, you two, we’re heading to the Usual Place.”

“You guys go on ahead,” Pence said, facing one of the shops, “I’ll meet you there.” He took off towards the open stand.

“Okay, hurry back!” Olette called as she waved. She turned back to the remainder of the group. “Shall we?” 

With a nod from the guys, the group of friends subsequently left Station Heights and headed to the Usual Spot.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Over at the Usual Place, the groups were all settled in their respective spots. Sora was sitting on a crate while Roxas took the crate next to him. Olette was seated on the couch, leaving Hayner taking his usual place on top of the water heater.

They were all in the middle of a conversation when Pence ran into the hangout spot, holding five sky blue popsicles by the sticks. 

“Oh, wow! Ice cream!” Olette spoke excitedly as the dark-haired boy handed her one. “Thanks, Pence!” 

“Yeah, thanks.” Hayner grinned, taking one as well. “How’d you get a hold of these?”

Pence smiled. “The shopkeeper I went to see gave them to me as thanks for returning his photo. As well as an apology for suspecting us as the culprits.” He explained.

“That’s a relief,” Olette said while Pence gave Roxas and Sora their ice cream, the two also thanking him. “I was worried everyone would still feel suspicious about us.”

“Fortunately, they aren’t, so we can relax now,” Hayner stated before taking a bite of his ice cream.

Sora inspected his ice cream, intrigued by the bright color. “Is this-”

“Sea salt ice cream?” Roxas finished, already having bit into the treat. He smiled as the brunet looked at him. “Just try it, Sora.”

The brunet turned back to his ice cream and took a small bite, his taste buds overcome by an intense flavor. “Oh god!” Sora winced, covering his mouth. “That’s _really_ salty.” He was taken by surprise when the saltiness gave way to a more smooth flavor. “Oh! But it’s sweet, too?” His blue eyes staring at the frozen treat in wonder.

Everyone laughed in amusement at Sora’s reaction. “You like it?” Roxas asked. Rather than giving a verbal response, Sora eagerly bit off a bigger chunk of his ice cream and gave a happy nod. Roxas looked smug. “Told ya.”

Sora stuck his tongue out in response, recalling their earlier conversation. Roxas chortled and mimicked the brunet’s gesture, resulting in the two exchanging one funny face after another.

While Sora and Roxas were well into their expression war, Hayner had sighed in boredom while staring up at the train tracks. “But man, today’s still turning to be a drag.”

“How so?” Asked Olette.

“Because we haven’t done anything exciting,” Hayner answered with a slight whine, “In fact, we haven’t done anything exciting all summer.” Pence and Olette looked at each other before turning back to their friend. Sora and Roxas, hearing Hayner’s complaint, also looked over.

“So, the mystery of the memory thief wasn’t exciting?” Pence asked.

“You know what I mean,” Hayner groaned, jumping off the heater. “We’ve been spending every day this summer just hanging around town. We oughta take at least one trip!” he perked getting an idea. “Like to the beach!” Sora’s stomach dropped hearing Hayner mention the beach. Thankfully, no one noticed his discomfort.

“Think about it, guys!” The dirty-blond teen walked more towards the entrance of the hangout spot. “Blue seas, blue skies,” he gestured with his hands, “let’s just hop on the train and go!” Hayner turned around and grinned as if he came up with the best idea known to man. However, that grin quickly dropped once he peered into the unsure faces of the others now standing in front of him. “Seriously?” He said, disappointed that no one shared his excitement.

“Don’t know if you’ve forgotten, but we’re broke.” Roxas bluntly pointed out.

Hayner smirked. “Don’t know if you’ve forgotten, but I’m smart.” he boasted. 

“Jury’s still out on that one,” Pence muttered to Sora. The brunet’s lips quirked upward while Olette and Roxas disguised their laughs as coughs. Hayner, too eager about his plan to notice, ran outside. The remaining friends looked at each other and shrugged before following suit. 

The gang traversed back to Market Street where they gathered in front of a bulletin board. Hayner wasted no time discussing the beach plan.

“Okay, guys. I know it may seem unrealistic when you consider the money and everything, but we can work it out. Now, a ticket to the beach costs 900 munny. How much would it cost for the five of us?”

Olette was quick to calculate the amount. “About 4500 munny.” she answered.

“Let’s add 300 for each of us to spend there. How much is that for all of us?”

“1500 munny.” Pence calculated. “That makes 6000 total.”

“That’s kind of a lot…” Roxas said. “What would we spend it on over there anyway?”

“Pretzels, of course,” Hayner replied. “What else is there?”

Sora found himself thinking of coconuts, mangoes, bananas, and all sorts of other fruit. Natural foods offered the seashore had to offer. 

“There’s also watermelon,” Roxas suggested. Sora jolted thinking the blond had read his thoughts. Relief washed over him seeing Roxas’s remark was merely in response to Hayner’s.

Hayner shook his head saying, “Too expensive. They’re like, 2000 munny a piece.” 

“Pretzels it is, I guess.”

“We need 6000 munny all together,” Olette stated, “but all we have is…”

Everyone started digging around in their pockets.

“I have 800 munny.” Said Pence. “...650 from me.” Said Olette.

“150…” Roxas muttered. “Sorry.”

Sora looked embarrassed. “Zero,” he said, hanging his head. “Sorry…” Roxas laid a comforting hand on Sora’s shoulder, gesturing that he shouldn’t feel bad.

Pence spoke in reassurance, “Hey, don’t sweat it, Sora. There are various ways to earn money.” He pointed to the bulletin board.

Olette nodded. “That’s right. There’s always someone in need of a helping hand, you’ll see their tasks posted as odd jobs for anyone to take up.” The brunet perked up at this bit of information.

“Really?” Sora walked over to the bulletin board and read over the jobs available. The tasks that people requested help for ranged from delivering letters to putting on a street performance. “I can do those!” He said cheerfully. Not only would he be able to make some money, but he’d be helping people as well. 

“Awesome!” Hayner grinned. “We have 1600 munny so far, which means we need another 4400. We have until the train leaves to earn 880 munny each, so let’s get to work, guys!” He ran off in a direction. “Meet at the station with cash in hand!” He called behind him.

Pence sighed, placing his hands at the back of his head. “And there he goes. Does he really expect us to accumulate that much in a short amount of time?”

“You got me,” Roxas shook his head. “But, I’ll admit those pretzels do sound good.”

“We can probably do it.” Sora smiled optimistically, not wanting to give up on something before even taking a shot at it.

Olette nodded her head, smiling. “I agree with Sora, we just need to work hard. Let’s take on as many jobs as we can and see what we come up with.” The brunet girl took off in another direction ready to get to work. “Good luck, guys!”

Pence turned to Sora and Roxas. “Guess I better get started as well. See you both later!” He said before running off to begin his own tasks.

“You gonna be alright?” Roxas asked the brunet. “You can stick by me if you want. I know there are some areas I haven’t shown you yet.”

“I’ll be fine, Roxas,” Sora assured with a smile. “I think I have a good enough idea of the area to make my way around. Besides, we’ll cover more ground doing separate jobs.”

Roxas hesitated but nodded. He didn’t like the idea of leaving Sora by himself, but he knew the other boy was right about the effectiveness of working the jobs separately. Plus, it wasn’t as if they needed to worry about another visit from those ghost looking monsters or anything.

“Okay then,” The blond nodded. “let’s meet back here once we’re done. We can head to the train station together.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Sora immediately set off to take on his first job.

Roxas smiled as he watched Sora run off with energetic determination. Sora’s energy must've rubbed off on him, because Roxas also began to grow more motivated about earning the goal amount for the beach trip. After checking the listings, the blond went off getting straight to work.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Roxas decided he had a right to be proud of himself.

After completing what felt like his millionth task, the blond counted up his earnings and was pleasantly surprised to find he had made a total of 900 munny. He supposed if he did a few more jobs he could possibly hit the thousand mark, but time was running short. 

“This should be more than enough,” Roxas said to himself as he walked back towards the bulletin board to meet Sora. Along the way, he couldn’t help but overhear a conversation between a woman and an elderly man.

“-Roxas’s new friend, Sora? Why yes, he was a big help delivering my letters. Such a kind boy. He didn’t even wait for me to tell him his payment once I gave him the task.” The woman remarked. The blond smiled, he could understand her reverence.

The man chuckled. “Well, whaddya know. He did me a huge favor getting rid of those darned bees. Didn’t even bat an eye going in.”

Roxas’s eyes widened in regards to the bees. The only other person besides himself brave enough to handle them had always been Seifer. If Sora did end up accepting that job, then that could mean…

Roxas broke into a sprint back to the bulletin board, ignoring every bewildered person he nearly bumped into in his haste. He was relieved to see Sora standing idly appearing no different than how he looked earlier. He still wanted to make sure, though.

Sora smiled as the blond approached. “Hey, Roxas! I take it you’re do-” the brunet was cut off when Roxas quickly took his hands and stared at them as if in search of something. “Roxas?” Sora stammered. “what’s wrong?” His cheeks painted in a pink hue at the feel of the warm grip Roxas’s hands had on his.

Deep sapphire inspected Sora’s hands and arms, checking for any stings the brunet might’ve received. To his relief and surprise, he found none. The lightly tanned skin remained smooth and unblemished as ever. Roxas realized he was still holding Sora’s hands and quickly let go, feeling his face go warm. 

“Nothing,” The blond hastily answered before changing the topic. “So, how’d you do?”

“Huh? Sora blinked but then understood. “Oh! The money! Pretty good actually!” He proudly held out his earnings. “I’ve got 1000 munny to contribute now!”

Roxas whistled. “Damn, you beat me. Well great job, Sora!” He clapped Sora on the back. “C’mon. The others must be waiting.”

The brunet nodded. “Lead the way.” 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hayner, Pence, and Olette were already standing outside the train station waiting when Roxa and Sora arrived. 

Everyone gave their earnings to Olette who quickly tallied the total, putting them in an orange pouch. She then held the pouch behind her back as she made the announcement.

“Nice work, everyone. Added to what we started with, we now have…” Holding the pouch outward, she delightfully informed, “Tada! 6,230 munny!”

“Sweet!” Hayner cheered.

Olette handed Roxas the pouch to hang on to. “Let’s go get our tickets, everyone.” She and Pence ran ahead to the ticket booth as Sora, Roxas, and Hayner stayed behind.

Hayner’s smile turned a bit somber. “We can’t be together forever,” he stated, the serious tone catching both Roxas and Sora off guard. “So let's make the time we do have something to remember by.”

“Huh?” Roxas stared at his friend strangely. What brought this along?

All of a sudden, the brown-eyed teen donned a goofy grin as he looked at the other two. “Gotcha!” He landed a playful punch to Roxas’s stomach. “You two should see your faces!” He guffawed as he ran inside the station.

Roxas held his stomach with narrowed brows. “Why you-” He ran after Hayner while Sora followed behind chuckling.

Within the station, Sora stopped dead in his tracks. Something felt wrong. He stared at the train still parked along the tracks.

_**‘Don’t get on that train, Sora!’** _

The brunet jumped, hearing a female voice in his head. He recognized It as the same one from the other day when he and Roxas were confronted by those white creatures. He bit his lip. For some reason, he believed the warning given. 

He wasn't supposed to be on that train.

“Hey, Sora?”

The boy in question turned his attention back on the others. They were all in front of the ticket booth facing Sora with quizzical looks.

“Are you okay?” Olette asked. 

“Yeah, whatcha waiting for?” Hayner asked.

“Uh….” Sora trailed off, unsure how he should put it. “I don’t think I’m gonna go, guys.” he eventually said with his head down.

Everyone looked at Sora with shock. “What?!”

“Are you sure?” Pence asked.

“What’s wrong, Sora?” Roxas asked, already concerned. Sora just shook his head.

“I’m not feeling too well,” He answered half-truthfully. “But hey, at least you guys have enough for a watermelon now.” He cheerfully pointed out..

“But-”

“Have fun, guys! You can tell me all about it when you get back.” Sora waved to them as he ran outside the station. 

“Sora!” Roxas followed after the brunet, but as he reached the stair landing Sora was already gone from sight. The blond sighed, looking down at the pouch in his hand.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sora walked around the Tram Commons of Market Street, unsure in regards to what he should do now.

He was bummed he had to miss the trip, but at least the weird feeling went away. 

“I should’ve asked Roxas for his key,” The brunet mused as put his hands behind his head. “Guess I’m stuck outside for the meantime.” Oh well, he’d rather be out than sitting in Roxas’s flat all day doing nothing.

Sora came across the same skateboard he and Roxas used earlier, having mysteriously wound up in the same place they found it. The brunet smiled as he placed a foot on the board.

“Here’s something to pass the time.” Kicking at the ground, Sora let the board carry him off, enjoying the feel of the wind in his face. 

The boy paid no mind to where he was going as he was having too much fun. He laughed heartily throughout the ride, waving at some of the townspeople he whizzed by, as well as executing a few tricks now and then.

Sora eventually found himself in an unfamiliar area. The board rolled a few feet before fully stopping, allowing the brunet to hop off. Looking around, Sora perceived the area to be for some kind of sport based on the arena smacked in the middle surrounded by benches.

“Wooooaa~~h,” Sora looked around in awe as he walked onto the platform. “I wonder what kind of games are held here?” he was so going to ask Roxas later.

“Hey, you!” A harsh voice called out.

Sora turned around. Standing in the distance was Seifer flanked by his followers, the group leader already appearing to be none too pleased. “What are you doing here?” Seifer demanded, crossing his arms. “This place is off-limits.”

“Oh! Is it? Sorry,” Sora apologized, rubbing the back of his head. “I didn’t know.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Seifer scoffed. “Even a pea-brained idiot knows the rule.”

“Yeah!” Rai added in, “Everyone knows not to come here while Seifer’s training!” He then mocked, “Your brain must be tinier than a pea to forget that!”

“Pretty generous to say he even has a brain,” The blond smirked. “It’s probably fried like that hair.”

The bulky young man snickered. “Good one, boss! You’re right, even his hair looks stupid!”

Sora’s brows narrowed. He wasn’t taken with either of their attitudes, especially not with the obvious insult. “Look, I said I was sorry, alright? I honestly had no idea.” he apologized despite his growing irritation. _‘What assholes,’_ he thought.

“H-hey, Seifer,” Vivi tentatively spoke, “Don’t you think you’re going a bit too far? He might be telling the truth.” Blue eyes flashed dangerously as Seifer looked down at the squatty boy.

“You’re taking his side, now?” The blond challenged. Vivi jumped and frantically shook his head, glancing at Sora apologetically as he stepped back.

“How is it ya don’t know, anyway?” Rai remarked towards Sora.

“Outsider,” Fuu spoke after observing the brunet.

Seifer scowled even harder at that. “That explains it. Look, punk, being new in town doesn’t mean you get to do whatever the hell you please. I suggest you get lost.”

This got Sora to glare. “And what if I don’t?” He fired back, getting into a defensive position. He would’ve complied with the “rule” they stated, but after how rudely they acted towards him, he wasn’t in a very cooperative mood anymore.

The members of the Disciplinary Committee expressed great surprise at the newcomer’s opposition. At least the three subordinates did. Seifer, for his part, briefly raised his eyebrows before they were reset in a disgruntled look. 

The leader glared at Sora, the latter unwaveringly staring back. Sora’s ocean eyes glinted with defiance, their owner uncaring if he was outnumbered. Sora wasn’t going to take this guy’s crap.

Seifer silently turned back and momentarily walked off the arena.

Everyone watched as the blond went up to a bin containing a bunch of different struggle bats, grabbed three of them before stepping back onto the platform.

Sora looked down at the bats thrown his way, rolling to a stop at his feet. The one on the right was the standard struggle bat, the middle one designed with a moon-shaped guard wrapped around the hilt, while the left one had a thinner and longer handle that was tipped with a blue star-shaped “blade”. 

“Pick your weapon,” Seifer ordered, already wielding his own bat.

“Huh?” Sora looked up in question.

“You heard me,” Seifer said, taking his place at the opposite side of the platform. “You wanna talk tough, let’s see if you fight tough.” The blond then smirked, placing the foam “blade” on his shoulder as he mocked, “Unless you’re too scared to fight and would rather surrender.”

The brunet’s eyes narrowed once more. He growled slightly, clenching his fists. No way was Sora going to surrender, especially not to an arrogant jerk like him. _‘I’ll show him.’_ He squatted down and grabbed one of the bats without much consideration before getting into a ready stance.

The bat Sora chose turned out to be the star-shaped one, which Seifer laughed mockingly at. “Poor choice, loser, that weapon won’t get you anywhere.” He pointed his bat at his opponent. 

“Thanks for the tip. But I’m sure it’s enough to take _you_ on,” Sora remarked, not at all concerned with how strong or weak his choice of weapon was supposed to be. He’d make it work regardless.

Seifer’s smirk turned dangerous as he got into a ready position. “You’re gonna regret this. Time I teach you how to behave in my town.” 

“Do it, then!” Sora taunted. “You seem to be all talk so far.” 

The taller male growled. Seifer didn’t think there would be anyone else besides Hayner and his dumb crew who’d provoke such ire out of him. Five minutes in on meeting the new kid, and he was already pissed from the sight of him.

Roxas, Hayner, Pence, and Olette came rushing into the Sandlot. They stopped and gasped at the scene before them.

“Oh no!” Olette gasped, visibly worried for their new friend.

“Leave him alone, Seifer!” Roxas shouted with an angry swipe of his hand. 

“Stay out of this, twerps!” Seifer kept his eyes on Sora. “The kid agreed.”

Sora turned his head and gave Roxas a smile before shifting his focus back on his opponent. Roxas opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself. He reminded himself that Sora was no weakling, he was going to have to trust him on this. 

Roxas and his friends watched anxiously as Seifer charged at Sora, already going in for a strike.

“Kneel, loser!”

Sora quickly dodged the attack by jumping back, his opponent leaping at him bringing the bat down at his head. The brunet blocked the attack using his bat’s handle, the pressured weight causing him to fall back. He broke the clash by executing a backward roll and cartwheeled out of the way of a forward jab.

Seifer pulled out all the stops, delivering harsh swings and strikes with Sora swiftly evading each one, occasionally blocking with astonishing precision. 

Sora briefly thought amidst the coursing adrenaline how instinctive everything felt. Like he was no stranger to this type of altercation. Whatever the case, he was determined to keep fighting until one of them could no longer stand.

Everyone was astounded by how the fight was progressing.

“Woah,” Pence remarked in astonishment “Sora’s actually pretty good.”

Hayner snapped out of his daze and crossed his arms. “Yeah, but he won’t win by just dodging. He’s gonna need to get a hit in some time.” 

“I think what he’s doing is smart,” Olette pointed out. “You can’t win on offense alone, either.”

Roxas was too amazed to comment with his eyes following Sora’s every move. _‘He’s incredible,’_ His mind marveled. He was practically seeing another side of the normally cheerful boy; the way his bright blue eyes sharpened, his mouth set in a tight line with focus as he clashed with Seifer’s attacks without hesitation, not to mention the fluidity in his maneuvers.

“How about you actually hit me, brat?!” Seifer growled, aggravated he hadn’t landed one hit on the shorter boy. 

Sora continued to dodge. “Is that an invitation?” the brunet retorted and went in for a strike of his own. “Then here!” 

Seifer guarded against it and smirked. Sora looked confused before he was sent flying backward by a slash, losing his grip on his bat. He barely registered Roxas and the others’ worried gasps as he slid upon hitting the ground. 

“Ngnh!”

Cheers and taunts could be heard coming from Seifer’s gang.

“Sora!” Roxas cried out as he reached a hand out towards Sora.

Thankfully, the brunet recovered with a backward roll and flipped onto his feet, skidding a little. His eyes scanned the area in search of his bat only to be dismayed upon realizing Seifer was standing right in front of it.

Seifer huffed out a laugh Sora’s dilemma. “What are you gonna do now?” He pointed his bat at the shorter boy. “You’ll have to go through me if you want your weapon back.”

Sora glared and pursed his lips. He had to get his bat back. But how? It was obvious retrieving it wasn’t going to be that simple, not with his opponent standing guard like a dragon to its castle.

Wait. 

Sora’s head clicked with Seifer’s last statement. He got back in a standing position while keeping his sight aimed at the taller boy. _‘Go through him, huh?’_ His mouth lifted into an impish grin, Seifer looking confused this time. _‘I think that can be arranged.’_

Everyone gasped as the brunet dashed towards Seifer, the latter smirking viciously as he prepared to finish the fight. Seifer intended to deliver a downward swing with enough force to knock the kid out for real.

However, as Seifer brought the bat down, Sora moved his foot back and sidestepped at the last minute, evading the blond’s swing. Finding his chance, the brunet used Seifer’s now crouched position to hop on his back and leap off, causing the taller teen to stumble. 

Sora dove into a roll, grabbing his bat in the process. He altered his position until he was facing Seifer.

Sora struck as the Disciplinary Committee leader whirled around. Seifer managed to block a jab but was caught off-guard when the brunet followed up with an upward slash leaving him open. 

Sora unleashed an array of attacks upon his opponent, the taller teen not having the chance to deflect one.

“Take this!” Sora delivered a finishing combo midair, resulting in Seifer to be knocked back. The blond groaned as he staggered backward before finally dropping to his knee. 

Sora relaxed his stance with his breath coming out in pants. That confrontation took a lot out of him. He held on to his bat just in case his opponent recovered. After a minute passed, it became clear Seifer couldn’t continue. The other members of the Disciplinary Committee rushed onto the platform and checked on their leader.

Sora became swarmed by the others surrounding him with congrats and exclaiming how incredible he was out there.

“Dude! I can’t believe you took on Seifer!” Hayner told Sora excitedly. “That was so badass!” he emphasized with a clap to the brunet’s back.

“I know, right?” Olette chimed in, clapping her hands together. “Though, you had us worried for a second there, Sora. Good thinking with that comeback.”

Sora chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head, cheeks reddening under the praise he was receiving. He looked at Roxas who was staring at him the whole time with a mystified expression.

“Sora…” Roxas began, moving closer to the shorter boy. “You were amazing.” He smiled at him.

Sora blushed and turned his gaze downwards. For some reason, having the compliment come from Roxas sent him into a tizzy.

“Guys!” Pence called. “Look over here!” The others turned towards the hickory haired boy who was holding up his camera. Pence captured a photo of his group with the downed Seifer behind them and gave a thumbs up. “Here’s to another victory!”

“Hey!” Everyone in Roxas’s group turned around. Rai and Fuu were facing them having gotten in fighting positions. “Who do you think you are, punk?!” Rai growled out towards Sora. 

“Penalty round.” Fuu challenged.

Sora and Roxas both glared and shifted into fighting stances themselves, the others following suit.

“Tch. What a bunch of sore losers.” Hayner uttered with a roll of his shoulder. Both sides stared each other down. One of them was about to move when a commanding voice stopped them.

“That’s enough!” 

Everyone looked at Seifer in bewilderment. The blond slowly got to his feet, brushing off Vivi’s attempts at assistance. His stare burned into Roxas’s group, particularly at Sora. “Leave him.” He ordered his gang and promptly turned around to depart.

“What?!” Rai exclaimed. Even Fuu’s eyes became wide as saucers in response to their superior’s choice to walk away. “B-but, boss! You can’t be-” 

“Did you hear what I said?” Seifer snapped, cutting off Rai’s protest. “Leave him. The kid won fair and square.” He then turned and pointed at Sora. “But, don’t think you’ll be as fortunate at the tournament, you hear?” He faced forward once again making his leave, his subordinates deciding to follow suit.

Sora let out a “huh?” in confusion. What tournament? 

As Seifer was leaving, Sora called out to him, “Hey wait! Seifer, was it?” The blond halted his steps with his back still turned. Sora then continued with a smile, “Good fight back there. You’re pretty strong.” Yeah, the guy was a grade-A bastard, but Sora was willing to acknowledge he had good fighting skills. Plus, he respected how Seifer took his loss fairly.

Seifer slightly looked over his shoulder, his reply consisting of a “tch” before exiting the Sandlot.

Roxas crossed his arms watching Seifer’s gang depart. “Well, that was unexpected.” 

“Seriously,” Pence said in agreement. “He even called off his lackeys.”

Roxas turned to Sora looking apologetic. “Sorry you had to deal with them. We’re not exactly on the best of terms with the Disciplinary Committee, as they call themselves.”

Hayner snorted, “Who is, anyway?” His brown eyes held a sense of bitterness as he stared in the direction Seifer had left. “The only people worth his time are those who can match him in strength.” Olette and Pence shared concerned glances. It always struck them odd how their friend could hate his longtime rival while at the same time fixate on what said rival thought. The blond’s shift in demeanor hadn’t escaped Sora and Roxas either. 

Sora was about to voice his concern only for Roxas to put a hand on his shoulder shaking his head. He understood and proceeded to change the subject. “So, what was that about a tournament?”

Hayner instantly perked up. “That’s right! I almost forgot about the Struggle Tournament!” He bumped Sora grinning, “You should totally enter, man!”

“I agree.”

A dark-haired portly man with a kind face approached the group. “I must say, that was really something. Besides Roxas, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone go toe to toe with Seifer like that. You’re Sora, am I correct?”

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

The man chuckled warmly. “Word travels fast here. The name’s Alvin, I’m the host for the games held here in Twilight Town. I highly encourage that you participate in this year’s Struggle Tournament. The best combatants in town will be competing, it’ll be a good opportunity to put those skills of yours to the test.”

“Huh…” Sora honestly felt unsure. Yeah, he was eager to jump at the chance to play some games, but were his skills good enough to partake in something like that? He was exhausted from facing Seifer alone, how would he fare against multiple challengers?

The host seemed to notice Sora’s hesitation. “Give it some thought, son,” he said kindly. “I guarantee you’ll have a blast.” Alvin bid everyone a good day before leaving the area.

Sora hummed thoughtfully. “It does sound like fun.” He asked the others, “I take it you guys are competing?”

“Sure are!” Hayner proudly announced with a nudge to Roxas. “Both me and this guy.”

“Well, I’m hurt. Forgetting my name already?” Roxas joked, flicking his hot-headed friend on the forehead. He snickered when Hayner nearly lost his footing. 

Hayner rubbed his head, mock glaring at Roxas, before explaining to Sora, “But, yeah. Roxas and I are aiming to make it to the finals. That way no matter who wins, we can all split the prize. And you know what?” He told the others, “If Sora enters, then we’ll have a higher chance of winning!” Hayner looked back at Sora with a grin. “What do you say?”

“Calm down, will you?” Olette put her hands on her hips. “He’s only just heard of the tournament. At least let him sleep on it a little.”

“it won’t be for another two days anyway.” Pence chimed in.

“I guess you’re right,” Hayner conceded, looking semi-deflated. 

Sora felt bad seeing the disappointment on Hayner’s face. He thought more about this Struggle Tournament and how determined and hopeful the gang was in their goal to win the event. His new friends had been nothing but kind and welcoming to him, treating him like he’d been a longtime member of their group. This could be his chance to give some of that kindness back.

“I think,” The brunet spoke up, “I’ll enter the tournament after all.” 

Hayner looked pleasantly surprised. “You mean it?” Sora nodded with a smile. “All right!” The blond cheered. “You’re really doing us a solid here, Sora! Thanks!”

Sora beamed. It felt good knowing he was being of help, and he’ll be doing something fun in the process. He turned to Roxas noticing the blond had a pensive look on him. “Roxas?”

Roxas had to ask, “You sure you’re up for it, Sora?” in which the brunet nodded.

“Yeah! I mean, thinking about it, I kinda have to compete. Seifer sounds like he expects a rematch.”

“That’s right.” The blond tsked. “That creep.” He glared in the direction Seifer’s group had gone.

“It’ll be fine, Roxas.” Sora shrugged. “At least I know what to expect. That fight made for a good practice match.” He said in a lighthearted manner. But Roxas didn’t seem amused.

“Yeah, but I’d still be careful,” Pence advised. “Seifer’s most likely going to go at Sora twice as hard now after the way he beat him.”

“Not if I take him out first.” Everyone, even Sora, had been taken aback by the coldness in Roxas’s tone. 

The blond curled his hand in a tight fist. He already harbored a great dislike for Seifer, no surprise there, but if that bully decided to go after Sora, it was fair game. Roxas didn’t care if Seifer acted graciously this time around, he still didn’t trust him.

“Hey, man, we got this.” Hayner said reassuringly, “Seifer won’t win this year, we’ll be ready for him.” Thinking the outcome of last year’s tournament being the cause for his friend going tense.

Roxas took in Sora’s worried gaze and let out a breath, easing the tension inside. “Yeah, I know.” He directed a grin to both Sora and Hayner. “May the best man win?”

Hayner grinned back as he and Roxas fist bumped. “It’s a promise.” He then patted Sora on the back. “I’m expecting to see great things from you, man.” The brunet nodded cheerily. 

“Right back at ya.”

Pence gave them a thumbs up. “You guys are gonna clean up!”

“Go get’em!” Olette added. The boys nodded in thanks, all three of them filled with invigoration and excitement in regards to the upcoming event.

Sora turned to Roxas, tilting his head curiously. “There’s a chance we might end up fighting each other. That’s going to be interesting.”

The blond said with a smirk, “I agree. After seeing how you handled Seifer earlier, I’m interested to find how we’ll match up.”

Sora laughed. “Well, I already know not to take _your_ skills lightly. You’ll do great, Roxas, I’m sure of it.” A tender smile graced his features.

Roxas lost his words for a second, his heart beating rapidly in the face of that vivid smile. “Same.” He eventually got out as he composed himself. “I’ll see you in the top ranks.”

The brunet replied softly, “Don’t hold back.”

Something in Roxas’s head stirred at Sora’s words. For a moment, it was as if he’d heard them from someone else, his heart heavy from care and sadness joined together. But just like that, the sensation dissipated like the flash of a camera leaving no after image behind. 

Roxas got a hold of himself and noticed that the brunet was waving a hand in front of his face.

“Everything okay, Roxas? You looked like you were staring into space there.”

“Oh! Y-yeah. I was just thinking.” 

At that moment, Roxas’s face changed from embarrassed to shock real quick in reaction to something happening behind Sora. 

The shorter boy immediately looked behind him and gasped. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hayner and the others were literally frozen in place, their positions unnaturally still like statues. Everything around Roxas and Sora began to whirl and twist around all shroudlike, causing the two boys to back into each other as they looked around in alarm.

What the hell was going on?

Four grayish-white blobs suddenly manifested themselves around the boys, dropping in as if coming from the sky, each one molding themselves into a certain ghostlike creature.

Roxas and Sora both tensed, still back to back.

“Them again?!” Roxas yelled out in disbelief. Just when he was starting to think the encounter from yesterday was just a one-time occurrence. 

Sora gripped his bat, watching the zipperheaded monsters dance in place. Roxas looked down finding the struggle bat Seifer dropped lying at his feet. He quickly picked it up knowing full well he was going to need something to defend himself with.

And just like yesterday, lights and numbers circled around Roxas’s bat leaving in his hand a particular key-shaped weapon. The blond held the key sword up in surprise. “This key…” 

_“The keyblade.”_

Various questions filled his head, but Roxas shook them off and readied himself needing to focus on the enemies surrounding him and Sora.

Sora charged towards the one on his front. “Sora, wait!” Roxas whirled around with his hand outstretched. The brunet slashed diagonally at the creature, only for the star-shaped blade to phase through. 

Sora internally cursed. _‘That’s right, I forgot.’_ He made to back away but the monster had him in its reach.

The creature lifted itself into the air, spinning around in a wheel-like fashion, kicking Sora back with its thin but fairly sharp legs. The brunet cried out as the force knocked him on his butt. A hiss escaped his lips upon feeling a stinging sensation on his right arm, finding two red scratches marring lightly tanned skin.

Roxas rushed to Sora’s side and held out a hand. “Are you okay?!” He asked, helping him up. Sora nodded despite an eye shutting due to the pain, feeling the scratches bleed a bit as he held his arm.

“Guess I deserved that.” He remarked with a weak smile. 

Roxas shook his head and put a hand on the shorter boy’s shoulder. “Leave the hard-hitting stuff to me, alright? What about that fire magic you pulled last time? You think it’s possible-” He quickly got in front of Sora and struck one of the creatures flying at them, succeeding in inflicting damage as before. 

“I-I might be able to do it again,” Sora replied, looking down at the bat in his hands. It seemed more like a wand now that he inspected it in further detail. With his weapon physically useless against the creatures, maybe it could instead be used to cast his magic. It was worth a shot.

“Okay, do what you need to do to work it. I’ll keep these guys off your back.” Roxas promised.

Sora nodded and said jokingly, “Make sure you save some for me.” 

Roxas smirked lightly before running at the white creatures, the chain of the mouse-shaped charm rattling as he raised the keyblade.

With Roxas busy engaging the group of enemies, Sora held up his bat with both hands and took a deep breath in concentration. He figured the means in conjuring that magical flame remained the same. The desire to help Roxas was there, as was his determination to make this power manifest. It was coming to him.

Sora felt that familiar surge of power crawling to be released. As if by instinct, the brunet took aim at one of the creatures and allowed the magic to be channeled through the bat.

“Fire!”

A flame projectile shot from the blade and into the intended target, leaving it twitching and open for Roxas to deliver a finishing strike causing the enemy to evaporate in a burst of light. The blond turned to Sora and gave him a thumbs up. Sora smiled and bounced in excitement at his successful attempt in summoning his magic, only to wince feeling the irritation of the lacerations on his arm.

Sora’s eyes widened as something flashed in his head.

 _“Heal!“_ A quartet of floral bells sprinkling light in a serene green glow.

The brunet stared at his hand, the tiny smear of blood staining his palm. Sora closed his eyes and placed his hand back over the cuts. He urged himself to relax as his mind turned to calming thoughts of light and rejuvenation, like flowers blooming under the sun.

“Heal.” 

A melodious ringing of bells filled Sora’s ears, followed by a soothing warmth. Ocean eyes opened at a new burst of energy flowing through him. He felt great! Sora’s surprise became greater, finding the cuts on his arm healed to the point where no trace was left behind.

“Hey, Sora?” The brunet looked up and saw Roxas still dealing with the remainder of the horde. “A little help here?” The blond asked, currently grappling with one of the creatures.

“Oh right!” Sora immediately cast the flame projectile just as Roxas pushed the enemy away, “I got ya!” the spell hitting its target. Already weak from the hits Roxas delt to it, the creature succumbed to Sora’s magic.

The boys took care of the remaining two, their teamwork proving to be effective as it was yesterday. 

With the last enemy gone, Sora and Roxas remained on guard as they scanned the perimeter for potential stragglers. The area stayed clear. 

The boys simultaneously relaxed letting out tired sighs. The keyblade in Roxas’s hand vanished in a blink of an eye, the blond finding himself holding the ordinary Struggle bat again.

Roxas sighed. “‘Guess that answers this morning’s question.” Sora smiled ironically recalling his inquiry about the key weapon, or as they now know it as, the “keyblade”. 

“Roxas! Sora!”

Sora and Roxas turned at the call. Hayner and the others were standing near the exit of the Sandlot, mobile and apparently unaware of the battle that just took place.

“You guys sparring or something?” Hayner asked, gesturing to the bats Sora and Roxas had. 

“Um...” The duo glanced at each other, unsure what to say.

“We’re going to the Station Tower!” Pence called with a wave. “Don’t stay _too_ long!”

Olette waved as she left with Hayner and Pence. “See you both there!” 

Roxas watched them as they departed, wondering how they could’ve missed what just happened. 

“Umm, Roxas?” 

The blond turned around, giving Sora his full attention. 

Sora was looking at Roxas thoughtfully, tilting his head. “I’d…. like to try something. You mind helping me with it?” He asked while walking a little closer to the taller boy. Roxas felt his face warm as he and Sora were now face to face, the brunet peering up at him with those bright blue eyes.

“Uh,” Roxas blushed. “Sure. What do you need me to do?” His eyes widened when Sora reached up, his hand close to touching his bandaged cheek. 

The brunet smiled. “Just need you to hold still,” he answered. Roxas gulped and nodded. His heart leaped feeling the warmth radiating off of Sora’s hand as it hovered over his skin. 

_‘Oh, shit…’_ Roxas’s mind raced. 

Roxas gripped onto both sides of his pants, not trusting his hands to have free reign, at least not with the temptation of pulling the smaller boy even closer currently looming over him.

Sora closed his eyes, brows furrowing in concentration, and took a deep breath. “Heal.” he murmured, a soft green aura of energy glowed from his hand.

“Huh?” Roxas gasped as he heard a pleasant chime of bells coupled with a soothing warmth covering his cheek. Roxas ran over to a window of one of the surrounding buildings. 

The blond peeled off the bandage and was shocked to see in his reflection the scratch marks on his cheek completely faded. Still in disbelief of what the glass showed him, Roxas touched his cheek feeling smooth undamaged skin. He turned to Sora, a look of wonder formed on his face.

“When did you-”

“During that earlier encounter with our ‘friends’,” Sora answered peppily. “Pretty convenient that I was able to heal what they left on my arm, too.” He pointed to the now clear skin of his arm before scratching a finger along his cheek “I’m really glad it worked.” He softly remarked, staring at Roxas’s newly healed side of his face.

Roxas’s awed look gradually gave way to a smile. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

Sora let out a short giggle only to stumble forward due to a sudden wave of dizziness. Roxas quickly grabbed his shoulders, keeping him upright.

“You okay?” Roxas asked, worry setting in deep sapphire eyes.

“Yeah. Yeah,” Sora placed a hand up to his head. “Though, it looks like that magic uses up a lot more energy than the fire magic.”

Roxas nodded. “Got it, no using it willy nilly.” He kept an arm around Sora’s shoulder as they made their way back on Market Street. “Do you wanna head back?”

“And miss out on the station tower?” Sora shook his head and grinned. “No way. I’ll be fine.”

Roxas looked skeptical but kept their direction towards the station. “Alright. But if you start passing out on me, we’re going straight home.” Sora rolled his eyes in good humor.

“Duly noted.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

High up from one of the rooftops, Naminé watched as Sora and Roxas left the Sandlot. She smiled faintly, pleased to see them pull yet another victory against the Dusks. Her brows narrowed feeling another presence nearby. Looking up, she found her suspicions confirmed.

Standing on another rooftop far across was a tall figure donning a certain black coat. Namine let out a small alarmed gasp and ducked behind the bricked railing, making sure to keep hidden as she peeked over the blockade.

Was that “Ansem” she was looking at? Had DiZ already regained access?

No. There was something different about the mysterious individual. The blond-haired girl quickly realized they must've been the one responsible for the recent appearance of the Dusks. 

It’s one thing for the Organization to send their Dusks, but now one of their members? 

This wasn’t good.

Namine looked again towards the opposite building with the person now gone. Dread filled her, already aware of how ruthless the Organization was with their tactics. 

Roxas still wielded the keyblade efficiently, even without recollection of his experience with it, and Sora manages well despite only having access to his magic at this time. Naminé had faith the two would be able to handle themselves against whatever the Organization will throw next, just as long as they stuck together.

In the meantime, she’ll continue to watch over aid them to the best of her ability.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Wow!” Sora stood on the edge atop of the Station Tower, his eyes wide with fascination at the view it provided. Seeing the entirety of the town from such a high place made him feel like he was on top of the world.

“Better watch how you’re standing over there,” Hayner advised while sitting between Olette and Pence. “It’s a long way down.”

Roxas patted the spot next to him. “Here, you can see the view just fine from here.” Sora plopped down next to the blond, joining the others in gazing out at the town basked in the warm summer glow.

“The sun’s so pretty from up here,” Olette said.

“Yeah,” Pence agreed. “Though, I’ll bet it looks even better at the beach.”

“Oh!” Sora was reminded right then of the planned beach trip from earlier. “How was it, by the way? He asked, turning his head. “I’m surprised you guys came back so soon.”

“Actually,” Roxas spoke, “We didn’t go.” The brunet was surprised to hear that.

“You didn’t? Why?”

“We weren’t going to go if you weren’t,” Olette answered. “Besides, it wouldn’t have been fair to use your money. Which reminds me.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out the orange pouch, handing it to Roxas. “It’s the money you and Roxas earned, ‘might come in handy for a rainy day.”

Sora felt bad. All that work they did to make it to the beach only for it to not happen, and because of him to add to that. He bowed his head crestfallen. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it, Sora!” Hayner assured. “Shit happens.”

“Right, there’ll be other chances,” Pence added.

Sora let out a sad sigh but was consoled upon receiving an assuring smile from Roxas. The group spent the rest of the time engaging in friendly chatter. 

After a while, Hayner, Pence, and Olette decided to call it a day and head back, leaving Roxas and Sora the only ones sitting at the tower. The boys were content staying a little while longer.

“Everything looks so beautiful from up here,” Sora eventually remarked, awe sparkling in his blue eyes.

“It sure is,” Roxas affirmed. He smiled giving Sora a sideways glance. “Hey, Sora.” he started. “Bet you can’t guess why the sun’s red right now.” The brunet tilted his head, squinting at the sun curiously. “You see, light is made up of lots of different colors. And out of all of them, red travels the farthest.” Roxas’s smile and eyes looked almost distant as he explained. 

Sora nudged Roxas jokingly, the latter’s odd stare escaping his notice. “Thanks for the info, Mr. Textbook.” The blond snapped out of his daze and playfully swatted at the other boy.

“Hey! Wouldn’t hurt your brain to learn some stuff!” Roxas laughed.

“Oh, what are you implying?” Sora giggled returning the light swats. The boys continued their play fight, vibrant chuckles filling the air. They eventually calmed down and slowly settled back into a peaceful silence. 

However, Sora’s smile waned as he voiced something that’s been bothering him ever since Roxas showed him around town. “Hey, Roxas. Do I look….. weird or something?” Sora asked with hesitation.

“Huh? What do you mean, Sora?”

The brunet shrugged before meeting Roxas’s confused gaze. “Everyone seemed pretty quick to pick up that I wasn’t from around here. Do I stand out that much?”

“You kinda do,” Roxas answered without thinking.

“Oh…”

“No-not that’s a bad thing!” Roxas quickly added. “It means you’re unique! That’s a good thing. Plus, it’d be boring if everyone looked the same anyway.”

“You...think I’m unique?” Sora asked, perking up a bit. Roxas blushed, scratching the back of his head.

“Y-yeah.”

“Well, that’s a relief. I wasn’t sure if I needed to make myself look more ‘Twilight Town-like’ or something.” The brunet joked with a laugh.

Roxas shook his head. “Of course you don’t, you’re just different. And some people may find it strange.” He continued, stumbling over his words “Not that you _are_ strange, even though there’s nothing wrong with being strange…..But I’m not saying you’re strange! it’s just- I mean-” 

He sucked in a breath to prevent any further word vomit.

“What I’m trying to say, Sora, is that….you don’t need to change anything. I think you’re fine as you are.” He said, a genuine smile plastered on his face. Though, inwardly, Roxas knew “fine” wasn’t even the least of it when it came to describing Sora. 

Sora looked to the side, smiling shyly. “Thanks, Roxas,” He said softly, his smile even more cheerful when he turned back to Roxas. “I think you’re fine as you are, too.” 

The boys held each other’s gaze a little longer before looking forward once again, watching the sunset with content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! You made it to the end! Awesome!
> 
> Wow, that was long. And I don’t just mean the process of getting this chapter ready either. I will say, I had fun writing the scenes for this, especially the part with the beach trip. Had a lot of fun trying to calculate how much the train fare would be with Sora added to the mix. Bet you all that’d be inflation price in today’s climate.
> 
> Tried hard to find if “Alvin” had an official name, but neither the game journal, Kingdom Hearts wiki, or Character Files book could tell me anything. Though, if I'm wrong and he actually does, please feel free to tell me XD.
> 
> Poor Roxas still didn’t make it to the beach. But, ya know? It’s for good reason.
> 
> Sora getting the Struggle Wand makes a lot of sense considering his situation. Dude can only use magic for now.
> 
> But, yeah. Thanks so much for the kudos and comments y’all left. It means a lot to me to know that people like this and are still indulging in Soroku goodness.
> 
> Thanks for reading! I’ll see you in the next chapter :)


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